Slushy Stories

Big Boy

2010-04-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

How can my baby be 10-months old already? Sawyer has been crawling for a while now and is in to absolutely everything. He still has a super-sweet disposition ( as long as he is not teething ) but he is definitely all boy and has a bit of a naughty streak. He like cars, balls and blocks, LOVES taking baths and always makes a bee-line to the thing he isn't supposed to touch. He has a sweet tooth, although there isn't much he doesn't like to eat. Most of all he loves Snow. I try very hard not to be offended when he screams if I try to remove him from his Father's arms. I can't really blame him...I like Snow quite a bit myself!

Best Buddies

2010-04-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that the warm fuzzies have not worn off for Saylor yet. She still LOVES her little brother and is an excellent helper. She often prays that "Sawyer can grow up to be a kid to play with me" .

Slacking on my Posting...Here is Easter

2010-04-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

I have no excuse for the fact that it has been over 2 months since my lasts posts. I can only say that I caught coupon fever and have been to occupied with snagging deals to blog! We had a great Easter. Since it was conference weekend I never had my kids dressed in their finery for a picture. Here is Saylor dyeing Easter Eggs, she chose a "monster making" egg set of course.

Both of my kiddos had good luck finding eggs full of goodies. Much to my waist-line's regret I think I finished off the last of the chocolate eggs yesterday.

We tried to spend the appropriate time discussing the Resurrection but Saylor became so obsessed and then freaked out by the thought of death. We will have to take a new approach next year!

Tricking the Tooth Fairy

2010-02-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

Saylor's cousin Gabbi recently lost a tooth and Saylor was in awe when she learned from Gabs about a sneaky visitor called the tooth fairy. You may have heard of her--she is the crazy lady that trades cash for chompers. Saylor came up with an ingenious plan to trick the tooth fairy using a cotton ball. In Saylor's estimation a cotton ball looks very much like a tooth if you tie it into a small ball with some string. She thought the best way to overcome the texture issue (pillow-soft vs very hard) was to coat the ball with a little Elmer's glue and let it dry. It really is too bad that the tooth fairy doesn't reward ingenuity but sadly the fake tooth is still under the purple pumpkin pillow.

Family Swim Night

2010-02-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

As I have posted before, Snow has decided it is part of his fatherly duties to teach our kids how to swim. Saylor has made great progress under her daddy's tutelage but on this night Sawyer wanted to get in on the action.

Sleepy Saylor

2010-02-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

There is a problem with Saylor's current stage--it is her refusal to nap. I know, I have little room to complain since she is now 4 and napped without complaint up to this point. But, as you can tell from this photo, her little body isn't really up to the challenge of staying awake until bedtime (not to mention the crank-fest we have from 4 o'clock on!). I made her dinner (yes it is Kraft mac n cheese...but I did add broccoli, much to her dismay) and went downstairs to do something (OK, OK, I was checking my e-mail, not doing laundry or anything legit). When I came back up this is how I found her. And BTW, there is an unchewed bite of broccoli in her mouth. Apparently this dinner was a snooze!

Sweet Little Sitter

2010-02-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that Sawyer is creeping up on 8 months already. I don't know where the time goes...well actually most of my time goes into keeping this little man's tummy full and diaper dry. He is now an accomplished sitter. He is really the most good-natured baby with a smile that, pardon the cliche, lights up a room. He eats like a champ which is how he has gotten his tank-like physique. While his belly gets bigger, his hair gets blonder and yes, I do love a baby faux-hawk! He now sleeps from 7-7 which is AMAZING and those chunky cheeks are just as delicious to smooch as they look. I love this little man!

Family Pictures

2010-01-11T13:34:00.003-08:00

I truly believe that three is no greater torture than trying to get a descent family picture. It gives me migranes every year, but I am dedicated to the cause of documenting our family growing up. I must have made 95 shopping trips to try to figure out what to where. Snow's helpful suggestion was that we match but not be too matchy. Yes, not vague at all. We waited too late in the year to get the job done so we had to cancel once because of a snowstorm and the day we actually took the pics it was FREEZING. Not at all conducive to happy child (or hubby) faces. The end result was that we all look a little tired and haggard, but we did it. You can find our photographer at mo-dream.blogspot.com she was super reasonable and easy to work with.

My Little Turkey

2010-01-11T13:34:00.001-08:00

Innocent Aren't They?!

2010-01-11T13:31:00.001-08:00

Looking at these pictures almost makes me forget the spilt milk, tantrum throwing, refusal to share, spit up, poopy, hypersensitive behavior that is real life...almost.

Has it Really Been Two Months?

2010-01-11T13:19:00.000-08:00

I mean seriously--Can it have been that long since my last post? Like many of you, I have been busy trying to get through the Holidays and make it a memorable and enjoyable time for my family. We did a lot of fun things including: The Festival of Trees, lights at temple square, caroling at the lifecare center, making goodies for neighbors, reading stories, attending concerts...lots of fun stuff. We spent Christmas in AZ with Snow's family. We had a great time.

We introduced a new tradition in our family called The Elf on the Shelf. It is a book and Elf figurine that you can get online or at bookstores. The gist of it is that the elf helps Santa know who is naughty and nice by hiding in a new spot each day to keep an eye on the kids and then reporting to Santa at night. Saylor named our elf Grisby and, I am not going to lie, I got a lot of mileage out of the phrase "Grisby is watching..." It was a huge hit at our house!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-04T11:47:00.001-08:00

Wow what a beautiful Halloween we had! I loved that it was a Saturday. We hadn't had time to carve our pumpkins so we did that in the morning--mine is the really good one! Then we had a little neighborhood soup potluck before we went trick-or-treating. Saylor was loving it and Sawyer is not one to complain about a stroller ride, even if he is forced to wear a dog costume. We ended the evening by playing some games with friends. It was a ghoulish good time! Oh, and in an effort to be more like my friend Tara I got my craft on and made both Saylor's "stylish"kitty costume (her name not mine) and my witch hat.

2009-11-04T11:27:00.000-08:00

As is tradition we made our way to the Black Island Farms Pumpkin Patch. Sadly it was a REALLY cold day to go, but neither of my kids seemed to mind. Another sad note is that my power went off half-way through drying my hair and didn't come on before time to go so I have some serious hair issues in the pics. I know I shouldn't have mentioned it and now you are all just staring at the pictures and agreeing with me! Anyway, the hayride and pumpkin picking were great, as were the slides, cow train, jumping castle, cornbox, and animals.

This BTW is Saylor's best friend Hyrum.

Halloween Party

2009-11-04T11:17:00.001-08:00

Saylor really wanted to throw a Halloween Party, and being a sucker for the scary myself I relented and we had quite the bash with the neighborhood 3 yr olds. We played find the skeleton bones in the backyard, pin the face on the pumpkin, and throw the candy corn in the jack-o-lantern. The kids also made a foamy pumpkin craft and I served monster face pizzas and pumpkin rice crispy treats for lunch. We finished with a photo shoot by Scary Gary our super cute scarecrow and a spooky story time. Sadly I hardly took any pictures because there were 10 3 yr olds and even though a couple of mom friends stayed to help, I was too busy wrangling kiddies to take photos. It was frightfully fun!

He's found his toes

2009-11-04T11:14:00.001-08:00

a mother's mani

2009-10-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

Ok I am officially going to do my first blog commercial. The other day I was waiting for a car repair flipping through some style magazines and I saw a review of a new product Sally Hansen Insta-dri fast dry nail color. It sounded too good to be true so I bought a bottle to try. I haven't painted my nails since I had the baby because honestly who has time?! Now I do. The brush is big and perfectly shaped so you make one or two strokes per nail and it gives complete coverage. It is awesome, even with a shaky left hand my nails look perfect and they dried in literally 60 seconds. Ladies, that means if you have a minute and a half you have time to do your nails for reals! Go buy yourself a bottle and thank me later. p.s. The magazines said deep plum was the color for fall so I purchased pronto purple and am loving it!

Now and Then

2009-10-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for the moment that Sawyer was old enough for me to take this picture. We took one of Saylor like this at 3 months and it is one of our favorite baby pictures. ( I am pretty sure it is still my mom's screen saver). Here was Saylor at 3 mo. February 2005:

And now here is little brother Sawyer ( I should say big little brother since he has at least 5 pounds on her at this age!)

In my head I think my kids look just alike, but as I compare these pictures I am not so sure. i do, however, know that they are both adorable! Go Cougs!

Lately

2009-10-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist posting this picture of my two sports fans. OK, the term sports is being used loosely here since they are watching one of Saylor's tiny tot soccer games, but how cute is Sawyer in a hat?!

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, I took the kiddies to see the elephant parade at The Gateway. It is a kick off to the circus being in town, and at 2 minutes and thirty seconds, it is the shortest parade I have ever been to. Luckily Saylor thought it was well worth attending. Here is what we saw:Saylor was standing here in anticipation. She is really into "Kangaroo Care" these days, she always keeps some stuffed animal tucked in her shirt during her other activities. They recommended this kind of contact when I had Sawyer to improve the bonding or something so I guess Saylor and baby bunny are going to be really tight now.

The real excitement was coming home with another item for the dress up box:

Travelers

2009-09-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Snow and Saylor decided to go and visit his parents in Eagar. Actually it went a little more like this:

Snow: I think I might go hunting with Alma (his brother) in Eagar for a week.

Summer : Sounds fun! (trying to be excited for him because he needs a break even though it will make me a single mom of two for an entire week)

Snow: I think I will take Saylor so she can visit my parents

Summer Sounds fun! (this time genuinely excited)

Saylor of course thought this plan was fantastic. They headed out Last Thursday and Saylor was so excited I barely even got a kiss goodbye. Snow said when the airplane took of she was full on cheering arms in the air like she was on a roller coaster or something. Per daily phone updates they are both having a wonderful time and Sawyer and I have enjoyed having the house to ourselves. Can't wait for my mighty travelers to return!!

Cute kid

2009-09-16T12:28:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Shi and Mike

2009-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

My sister just got married in the Salt Lake temple. It was so fun to be a part of watching her become Mrs. Hancock. Here are a few pics from the day.

Swimming lessons

2009-09-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

Snow taught swimming lessons and coached a community swim team during his high school days. He decided it was time to start teaching Saylor to swim, and here are some cute pics Grandma Slade took of Snow's efforts.

What it is like to have two kids

2009-09-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

The rest of our Summer

2009-09-02T16:55:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how I have been slacking on my posting. I promised myself I would update the blog once a week and you can see how that went. Oh well, chalk it up to being a new mom of two. We spent a pretty quiet Fourth of July at home. Snow got some fireworks to do with Saylor and surprisingly, she wasn't afraid of the sparklers. We also made some s'mores using our grill. This is how my precious two-week-old little boy looked.

I got brave enough to bring Sawyer to church (covered in his car seat with a take-a-peek-if-you-dare look on my face) and this is a family pic of us.

This big bow on my shirt came in handy since my milk leaked through my nursing pads and left two huge spots. Here is one of the men in my life. The verdict is still out on who is cuter.

That was a little tummy-time and I want to cry because my little man has totally outgrown that sleeper. How is he getting so big so fast?! Saylor loves being a big sister. I don't think she has played with a toy in Sawyer's 10 weeks of life. Who wants a doll when you have the real thing?

I can tell he is going to be a genius because he is already pondering life's mysteries. Here he is post-bath.

I don't really know if he looks like me, but I am willing to take credit. Thanks to Dora and Naomi for this adorable onesie.

Snow gave him an amazing blessing at 8 weeks. We were lucky enough to have about 35 family members present. Thanks to all of you for making the day so special! Jan and I were cheap enough to give $2 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point a try. NEVER AGAIN! but at least Saylor and Gabby had fun!

Here is a picture of Sawyer at his 2 month check-up. This, of course, is before his immunizations. We learned that he is in the 95% for length and 85% for weight. Apparently this go round I am producing whole milk instead of skim!

Saylor's second year of soccer has started. She convinced the other 7 kids on her team to go with the name sharks again. She is much improved in fact she scored a goal at their first game and yes I had tears in my eyes.

Here is a picture of Saylor and I that we took just because.

This is Saylor holding Sawyer this last weekend. I know what you are thinking and yes I do believe he is about as big as her.

It has been pretty crazy so far but I am loving being a mom of two!

Our Very Happy Father's Day

2009-06-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

Well, no one can say our son doesn't know how to make an entrance! Snow's sister was in town so we decided to go barbecue with them at her in-laws house. On the way there Snow was like my stomach hurts--probably because he ate 3 hot dogs after church. I thought, you know, my stomach kind of hurts to. While we were sitting there visiting with family I realized that my stomach and back were hurting every 3-5 minutes--could this be labor? Luckily one of the other family members attending the barbecue is a labor and delivery nurse and encouraged us to go to the hospital to get checked out. I really wouldn't have gone otherwise because I didn't think it was real. I hadn't had any contractions earlier and I didn't want to be one of those people who keeps getting turned away from the hospital for false alarms. When I got there and got checked at around 7:30pm the nurse was like "umm you are a 7 --you are definitely in labor!" Of course I would go into labor when my house is a disaster and my meticulously packed hospital bag was sitting at home by my bed! I will spare you all the gory details but David Sawyer was born at 11pm on June 21st. He was 8lbs 5 oz, and 20 inches long. My delivery was short and, with an excellent epidural, I would even call it sweet. The only bad part was that I am Strep B positive and because he came so fast they didn't have enough time to get me all the penicillin we needed so we had to stay in the hospital almost 3 full days, but he is healthy as can be and eats like it is going out of style! We couldn't be more grateful to have him here safe and sound! I thought you would all want to see how cute he is!
and in an effort to antagonize all of the Ute fans at the University of Utah Hospital, we couldn't resist this:

I am obsessed!

2009-06-05T20:45:00.001-07:00

One of our neighbors mentioned that he knew of a great place to garden if any one didn't have room in their yard and we decided to jump on board. We have a little plot in a good-sized orchard where I am trying my hand at cultivating the land. I didn't cheat this year--I used seeds (except for my tomatoes of course). I have become completely obsessed--I don't know if it is part of the whole nesting thing, but I go check on it every day, hoe in hand. Saylor and I planted everything, and two weeks later nothing had sprouted. I cried. Then I decided to start the plants at home in one of those jiffy greenhouses. I transplanted my seedlings and found that most things had finally started growing on their own. My neighbor is a farmer, and while I often feel chagrin in his presence because I don't know what I am doing, he has been so helpful. I learned that it isn't necessary to pick weed by hand--that is what a hoe is for. He taught me how to set up a watering system that is super handy--I just have to turn on a sprinkler every 4 or 5 days. He also taught me how to help my fragile home-grown seedling make the transplant. This is a picture of my progress so far. It doesn't look like much, but I am so proud. I never thought I would like watering, weeding, and caring for these plants, but it has been so enjoyable. I can't wait to eat my garden -grown tomatoes and carve our very own pumpkins this year.

The Scariest Thing Ever

2009-06-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

So I turned 29 the end of May--no that is not the reason for the title of this post. Here is a picture of us going our to dinner with my family to celebrate.

A couple of days later, on my actual birthday, I met Snow for lunch and we went to check out Red Butte Gardens.

The gardens were beautiful. They had one section that was a children's garden that was every kids dream. It was complete with:

Places to Hide

Critters to Climb

And a Spot to Get Dirty.

It also had one more thing that we didn't bargain for. (This is the "scariest thing ever" part, thank you for hanging in there). They have a tunnel shaped like a snake made out of plants growing over a wire snake shape. It is only tall enough for little kiddies to walk through and of course Saylor wanted to investigate. We waited for her at the end and as she exited the tunnel something was right behind her...a RATTLESNAKE

I wish I were kidding, but I am not. This venomous creature was right by my three-year-old. Luckily she didn't notice it until we had wisked her away to safety because she probably would have tried to pet it! Snow called the front desk and then stood as sentry while they sent a professional to come get the critter. Luckily no one was harmed, but as lovely as the gardens were, I don't know if we will be making a return visit any time soon!

Taylor Swift Concert

2009-06-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Snow and I had the best time ever at the Taylor Swift concert. Don't be fooled...Snow is the one with her tunes loaded on his ipod!I bought our tickets online the first minute that they went on sale and this was the result.I know this picture is wretched, but your eyes are not deceiving you, we are on the second row from the VERY top. Seriously if someone knows the secret to getting decent concert tickets, do tell!

One bad thing about the nosebleed section is that it is very hot, especially for women who are 4 weeks from giving birth! P.S. take a moment to feel bad for the only suckers in energy solutions arena with worse seats than us--that is them in the background.

Here is Taylor singing my favorite of her songs, You Belong With Me. This girl can totally put on a show. For instance this song included cheerleaders, and her in a band costume that miraculously turned into a slinky sequined number by the end. There was rain, a crazy drumming competition, a wedding dress, ballroom dancing, about thirty songs all about a girl being jilted by a boy and a house full of tween-aged girls. What was not to love! No seriously I am not being sarcastic--it was super fun and you should check her out next time she comes to town.

Chinese Dress

2009-06-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Snow's sister Naomi served her mission in Hong Kong and was recently able to go back for a visit. While she was there, she and her friend Dora picked up this cute little dress for Saylor. When we took the picture Naomi insisted she make peace signs because it is "very Chinese". I thought the result was adorable and wanted to share it.

Hike to Buffalo Point

2009-05-20T19:43:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was the first that Snow has had off in 6 weeks, plus the weather was great so we tried hard to take advantage. After Saylor's soccer game( see previous post) we grabbed some smoothies and headed out for a family hike on antelope island. It would be a gross exaggeration if I told you that this was the most scenic spot I have ever encountered, but it was fun. At least it would have been fun if it weren't for the No See Ums. Yeah, we didn't know what they were either, but believe me we learned. They are some bizarre biting gnat that were thriving out there on the Great Salt Lake. At first I thought I was crazy because my scalp was stinging and itching like crazy--but all we could see were these annoying little gnats swarming us, and gnats are harmless right? WRONG! Lets just say that we learned first-hand about the enhanced interrogation techniques used at Gitmo involving insects, and had I been privy to any government secrets I would have been singing songbird to stop the madness. This is gross, but each time a tried to scratch my scalp to ease my discomfort I came away with bugs under my nails! The only person not bothered by the little buggers was Saylor. She had the best time ever, and was loving climbing the huge boulders. I guess if soccer doesn't work out, she might have a future in rock climbing, she was surprisingly fearless. Sadly we never made it to the end of Buffalo Point--we just couldn't take it. I guess we will have to do a little more research before our next family outing. I have reluctantly included (for those of you who have been pestering me for it) a picture of me: fat belly, fat face, fat bootie and all. This may be more gross to some of you that the bugs under my nails! Oh well, only 5 weeks to go.

Farewell White Sharks

2009-05-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was the final game of Saylor's tiny tot soccer season. This introduction to team sports proved to be a little rocky for Saylor. She spent the Fall wanting to play on the playground instead of on the field, and the first half of the Spring crying because her games were now scheduled during nap time. The last two games, however, were a bit more encouraging...She actually asked if it was her turn to "go in" and she ran after the ball with the other kiddies when she was on the field. She still wasn't aggressive enough to touch the ball unless she was kicking it in from out of bounds, but at least we saw some progress. Her excellent coach had his wife take some nice team photos. Sadly, picture day also happened to be the day that we were running super late and I couldn't find her matching pink soccer shorts, and I didn't have time to do her hair, but I still think she makes an adorable athlete.
On the final game the coaches held back all the other kids and let Saylor take the ball down the field and score a goal. I have never seen her so proud of herself! She ran straight off the field and gave Snow and I high-fives and hugs. After the game all of the kids got a medal (which Saylor is still wearing everywhere including church), and Saylor is convinced she got it because she scored a goal. It was really fun to see this side of her and we can't wait for next season to start.

The best $40 we ever spent

2009-05-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

We bought Saylor a tiny bike for her 2nd birthday(feel free to check earlier posts if you are dying to see a picture of it) and she never played with it. Since the weather has been pleasant she has been playing outside with some neighbor girls who have bikes and she finally figured out how to pedal. In fact she even got invited to go on a bike ride with some friends and she had a really hard time keeping up with the other kids with her scrawny baby bike. We decided that it was time to break down and get her something more age-appropriate and boy are we glad we did. When I first showed Saylor pictures online of the bike I planned to order (a $40 huffy sea star from Walmart) she was not impressed. Her exact reply was "but mom it doesn't have any ponies or care bears on it." When I told her the choices were this bike or no bike (because I refused to spend twice as much on a bike with Dora on it), she quickly decided she really liked it after all. Snow put it together and here are pictures of its maiden voyage. Since this joyous day she has spent literally hours on it each day. She LOVES it and I love that she would rather ride her bike than watch Dragon Tales. For once in our parenting career Snow and I chose a toy she actually played with for more that 5 minutes. Wahoo! It is the little victories in life right?!

Saylor Said

2009-05-12T17:15:00.001-07:00

So lately my daughter has been killing me with her funny comments.

Yesterday she asked Snow to play "mommy and kid" with her. Saylor was going to be the mommy and Snow the kid. She says "OK I am the mommy I am going to clean the kitchen." I said "Is that what Mommies do, clean the kitchen?" she said "Yes, and Daddies check the computer."

Last night we were for FHE we were talking about The promises you make when you get baptized like stand as a witness of God at all times and I explained that meant always being a good example. I reminded her of a time when she told a friend not to say a "naughty" word. She said "Ok mom I promise to tell everyone not to say oh my gosh, stupid, or butt!" I was laughing so hard.

I had a few more to share but I am running out of time--maybe later.

Easter

2009-05-07T20:27:00.001-07:00

Nothing was more fun for my crafty three-year-old than doing a little Easter egg dying:

We didn't actually hunt any of these eggs, but Saylor loved eating them. I would peel them and she would take them whole, dip them in salt, and nosh away. My sister Shi got a pink chick from her roomie and Saylor thought it was the neatest thing ever!

The Easter bunny left Saylor some clues to help her find her Easter basket. In the end she tracked it down to its hiding place in the babie's crib:

Here she is all dolled up for Easter Sunday:

And egg hunting at Grandma's:

Don't worry, we also had a lot of talks and a special FHE about the real reason we celebrate Easter.

Gardening

2009-05-07T20:25:00.001-07:00

I am so excited for nice weather that I don't even mind doing yard work! Evidently Saylor agrees.

Cookies

2009-05-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

One of my friends gave me a new sugar cookie recipe and I couldn't wait to try it out. Saylor is always game for something sweet, so here are some pics of my right-hand baking woman frosting the finished product.
Yes she is licking the sprinkles off the plate:Someone has to check to make sure they aren't poisonous!

Kite Flying

2009-05-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

We have had some windy days lately and we decided to go do a little family kite flying. Saylor thought it was great for about 10-minutes, but we don't have one of those sweet kites that does tricks, so watching it fly around got a little dull after a while. We capped off out outing with a little cold stone--now that's what I'm talking about!

Big Girl Bed--Sort Of

2009-05-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

Since we have a new addition coming in less than two months we thought we had better get Saylor out of the crib and into a real bed. We ended up deciding to start out with a twin mattress on the floor so miss rolly-polly could get used to sleeping without bars to keep her in bed. You have never seen a child so delighted with something so simple. She Loves feeling like a big-girl and I love that when she needs a drink or to potty in the night she can get it herself. Here is a picture of the first big night:Here is what she looked like thirty minute later:

Bowling Bonanza

2009-03-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went bowling as a family for the first time--I am not even sure that Snow and I have ever been together. It might have something to do with the fact that the last time I went I bowled a 28. We ended up having a great time. Saylor loved lugging the 6 lb ball around, although it did not bolster my confidence in her carrying around a 6lb baby brother anytime soon! Her favorite part of all things were the shoes. They were two sizes too big, but she spent half the time with her pants pulled up so she could show them off. A good time was had by all, and please Jan, don't judge me for the way my child's hair looked (see previous post), I swear it looked cute earlier, we had just been partying really hard!

Saylor's first haircut

2009-03-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Am I crazy that my 3-yr-old is just now having her first haircut (I am obviously not counting the one she gave herself last fall!)?! I have been so hesitant because she has such cute waves that I was nervous would disappear once I cut it. I am also living vicariously through my child wishing I had her long flowing locks. Really it is just fine baby hair but I love it just the same. Luckily I have a secret weapon in my arsenal in that my sister is an amazing hair stylist. She consented to do the deed and she did a great job. she set Saylor on a little stool on top of her chair, wrapped her in a cool aquatic cape and bribed her with swedish fish while she got busy snipping. Saylor even let her round brush her hair (which I have since attempted twice without getting the desired outcome). In the end, and about 4 inches later, my child thought she looked so fancy she still hasn't stopped tossing her hair around. She looks very grown up which I both love and hate. Thanks Jan, for making Saylor's first trip to the salon so fun!

Have I mentioned...

2009-03-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

...that I am 24 weeks pregnant expecting a baby boy in June? We are so so so excited!

Utah Family Fun Spots

2009-03-04T19:22:00.000-08:00

Is anyone else out there alarmed at how expensive it is to take your family anywhere these days? Well desperate times call for desperate measures and I just can't handle being cooped up indoors 7 days a week so we have been venturing out to some of Utah's family hot spots and we haven't been disappointed. The dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point was a hit with Saylor. Mostly because there is a lot of minorly-messy hands-on stuff.The Tracy Aviary was also fun, but it is all outdoors so I don't recommend going there when it is 40 degrees like we did. There were a lot of interesting birds to see and Saylor loved chasing the stray ducks and peacocks. I really like the Living Planet Aquarium as well. It is really small, but what they lack in quantity they make up for in quality. We went with my sister and her daughter Gabby--they had a great time!!
When all else fails, and you only have a buck in your pocket, I have found that you can't go wrong with an ice cream cone and playland at McDonalds!!! I would love to hear if any of you locals have local fun spots that your kiddies enjoy!

There is only one person in our family who is not sick of Winter!!

2009-03-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

Eagar

2009-03-04T19:11:00.001-08:00

Snow was lucky enough to have the first week of February off (yikes! Am I really a month behind blogging?!) so we decided there was no better place to go than to visit Snow's family in Eagar. The thing that we LOVE about Eagar is that it is away from everything. When you go for a visit you can't help but relax because that is all there is to do. I got to catch up on some reading, we got to see some movies in the theater (gasp!), we went shooting, and for those of you laughing right now I shot big guns and I have good aim!!! The weather was gorgeous and Saylor was thriving because she had a grandma, grandad, and uncle who wanted only to play with her. We caught some high school basketball games -GoElks!, and even went tubing. Snow's mom breeds dogs and Saylor was in heaven playing with the latest litter. We had a really great time and we are thankful for the hospitality we are always shown when we visit.

A Last Piece of Christmas Cheer

2009-01-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

I know that the Holidays have long-since past, but I couldn't resist sharing one last thing. To get us into the Christmas spirit, Snow downloaded a bunch of Christmas music onto his IPOD and we listened to it whenever we went anywhere as a family. We soon found that Saylor had a favorite. It wasn't Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, or even jingle bells...it was Taylor Swift's version of "Last Christmas" Here is Saylor doing a little performance of her favorite "carol." She knows all the verses as well but I thought I would spare you the extended performance. Aren't her dance moves cute?!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-31T20:24:00.001-08:00

We were a little late getting the tree up this year on account of our trip to Mexico the first week of December. We were also a bit delayed when we found that our water heater was leaking and had flooded the basement! Saylor was so excited when we finally got the house looking festive. The only hard part was that Saylor wanted to add all the ornaments to her toy collection instead of putting them on the tree.

We decided to do our own thing for Christmas Eve for the first time. After dinner we made cookies for Santa, wrote/drew a Thank-you note to Santa, and read the Nativity from the bible. We also opened our Rudolph's (gift bags decorated like reindeer containing pajamas from Snow's Mom) and donned our new PJ's. It was such a cozy evening at home.

Saylor was so excited about Santa this year which was really fun. She was delighted to find that he had taken some bites of the cookies she left him, and even more excited to find the pet frogs that he brought her. It was a pretty magical Christmas!

Our Early Christmas Present

2008-12-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

Snow and I gave ourselves a pretty sweet Christmas present this year--we went on a Mexican Riviera Cruise. Honestly it was a necessity because Snow needed to remember what time-off felt like and I needed to spend some quality time with my hubby. We went on the trip with some friends from Tucson: Patrick and Erica. We had the best time! We visited Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo and I seriously think I could live in Mexico. At our first stop in Puerta Vallarta, we went snorkeling, kayaking, and exploring a private beach. We also sampled some killer fish tacos. At Mazatlan we did a canopy adventure where we rode zip lines all across this jungle area--it was awesome. I know something like that is totally out of character for me, and no I didn't sample the regional agave tequila before doing it--it was scary at first, but we all ended up loving it.Our taxi driver took us to this awesome restaurant where the four of us ate for 10 bucks--again, I could live in Mexico. In Cabo we visited Lover's beach and did a little more snorkeling. This time Snow and I had shrimp tacos and they were delicioso. I know you guys are wondering why we were so excited about the food when we were on a cruise gaining 2 pounds a day. All I can say is that we have been missing Tucson's authentic Mexican food so we couldn't resist sampling the local fair. We also had plenty of time for games of Settlers of Cataan and Killer Bunnies. We got our groove on in the dance club, played a few game shows, did some sunning, and a lot of eating. Snow's big disappointment was when he barely missed winning a medal in the on-board putting contest. His defeat was especially bitter because the winner had gotten into the final round by cheating. Luckily he was able to console himself by winning the spelling bee!!! My only regret is that our camera ran out of battery halfway through the trip. We got a disposable one, but even photoshop could not rescue the photos that piece of trash produced! Anyway, we had an amazing time--I hope Santa delivers the same gift next year!

Happy 3rd Birthday Saylor

2008-12-31T19:52:00.001-08:00

Ok I am really behind on my blogging, but I thought I would share some of the exciting things that happened for us in November and December. Saylor turned 3 on November 22. Snow and I took her to a jumping castle place the night before to celebrate. She was completely fearless and as you can tell, did not slow down long enough for me to take a decent picture!
The actual day of her birthday was an eventful one for my family because my sister, Jan got married. Congrats Jan and Danny!! We still had cake and ice cream for Saylor with her grandparents, aunts and uncles.I can't believe my baby is 3! She is such a sweet smart girl and we are so proud of her!

Family Photo Shoot

2008-11-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

We had some family pictures taken recently in the hopes that we might have something decent to use for our Christmas Cards. Thanks to her do-it-yourself haircut, Saylor was having a terrible hair day, but we got a few cute shots nonetheless. Snow's favorite picture is this one:
He thinks we look "GQ" in it, although I thought only guys could look "GQ". I have to admit I like the unintentional wind in my hair effect. My favorite picture is this one:I think it is a flattering shot of all of us. I would love to hear what you think. I have also included a few honorable mentions. Thanks to my sister's soon-to-be sister-in-law, Kristina, for being our photographer!

Fun in the Fall

2008-11-03T14:29:00.001-08:00

Fall is one of my favorite times of year because there are so many fun things to do. I thought I would post about some of the things we have been doing to these last few weeks. Some of the moms in the neighborhood took our kids to a pumpkin patch. It is such a fun place to go. In addition to the kids picking out their own pumpkins, they had slides, cow train rides, sandboxes filled with corn kernels, a jumping castle, a kiddies corn maze, pig races etc. We had a really great time.

My cousin threw a Halloween party this year which was really fun. I haven't dressed up for Oct 31st in years and I think I am a little rusty. I am not sure our Mummy costumes are very convincing (they were however, very cheap!)

Once we had our pumpkins we of course had to carve them. Saylor thought this was great fun, minus the part where you have to dig out the gooey pumpkin guts and I have to agree with her. This must have been an exhausting experience because I look really tired in this picture!Of course we can't for get the climax of Fall--trick-or-treating. Saylor was a mouse this year for Halloween and she LOVED her costume. In fact she wore it pretty much constantly the two weeks before the big night. She looked cute in it and our neighbors agreed because she got lots of treats!

I would be lying if I said that one thing I loved about the Fall was raking leaves. Saylor, however, thinks this is indeed one of the best parts!

I'm a Mean Old Witch

2008-11-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

Saylor learned a new song in preschool, complete with actions, and I wanted to share it with you.

Visiting the Witches

2008-10-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Gardeners Village is a super fun place to visit this time of year. On Saturday a miracle occurred--Snow was home with us, and the weather was nice so we decided to take advantage and visit the witches (along with pretty much everyone else in Utah). It was pretty packed, but that didn't put a damper on saylor's enthusiasm for finding all the witches. She especially liked the one that crashed into a building, and the one who was afraid of a mouse. We also decided to let her go to the petting zoo. I wasn't sure what she would think about it--I thought she would be frightened, but after 30 minutes of petting all of the animals, we had to drag her away. It was a great way to enjoy a beautiful Fall day and put me more in the Halloween spirit if there is such a thing!

BYE BYE BINKIE

2008-10-19T19:15:00.000-07:00

If I am being honest I don't know who loved the NUK more, Saylor or me. Saylor loved naps and bedtime because she only got her pacifier at these times, and consequently I loved the pacifier. My plan was to get rid of the Binkie before Saylor turned 3 at the end of November, but it was really hard to bite the bullet and do it. Saturday morning we were sitting down to pumpkin pancakes and Saylor was laughing about something and Snow noticed that her front tooth was started to jut out (presumably do to sucking on the pacifier). Right then and there Snow said no more NUK. I had been planning a binkie send off for some time and Saturday ended up being the day. First Saylor helped me find all the binkies and put them in a bowl. We then went to a store and she picked out her favorite colors of helium balloons. Finally we went to a toy store and Saylor got to pick out a small toy that she would get to open after we got rid of the binkies. Saylor "helped" me tie the pacies to balloons and then I told her that she was a big girl and the babies in heaven needed her binkies because they were still babies.. Saylor was so excited to make the babies Happy so she let the ballons fly. We let her open her toy and take it to bed as it was nap time. This first nap went pretty smoothly, but ever since it has been tricky. She remembers that she gave all the binkies to the babies, but that doesn't stop her from crying and saying "I miss my nukie." I think we are over the worst. I am very proud and a little sad that my little girl is growing up!

I am a Domestic Diva

2008-10-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to move into a neighborhood that is really into preparedness, gardening, etc. and over the last couple of weeks I have acquired some fun new skills. To begin with, we planted our first ever garden. OK, garden is a bit of an exaggeration but I did plant strawberries, tomatoes, egg plant, red bell peppers, and watermelon. Not everything was a success, but we have enjoyed garden tomatoes all summer and we wound up with several delicious watermelons. Our biggest and most tasty is pictured here with Saylor. It weighed 24 pounds and I am very proud of it! A friend in my ward also taught me to can. I started out with peaches. They look so pretty on my shelf that I haven't had the heart to open a bottle so I can't really guarantee that they are botulism-free, but I will keep you posted. I started getting confidant so I decided to make and can some salsa. Sadly, it did not turn out as tasty as I had hoped. Apparently you have to stir it a lot, which I neglected to do. The result was that it stuck to the bottom of the pan and it now has an unintentional smoky flavor. I got my hands on some more tomatoes so I think I am going to try another batch. They say if you fall off a horse you should get back on--otherwise you become to scared. I think it is the same way with homemaking skills. If I don't try salsa again soon, I may never be brave enough! Finally--I have learned that motherhood is hard on your jeans. I got a hole in the knee of my favorite and most expensive pair of jeans after playing lion one too many times with Saylor. I tried my hand at repairing the damage myself.

Maybe it is just me, but I don't think my repair is too noticeable. I am very excited about my newly acquired skills. It is really fun to feel a little more self-sufficient. And I guess if we have an emergency that requires that we live off our newly acquired one-year-supply of food--that smoky tasting salsa could be a pretty hot commodity!

Do you need an amazing hair stylist?

2008-10-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

My sister, Jan, just moved back to Provo and is now working at the Haven Salon (801) 379-0540; 359 W 100 S Provo, UT. She does fantastic cuts, colors, updos, etc. so if you are in the area and need to update your look you should book an appointment with her!

GNO

2008-09-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

OK--prepare to be jealous. My Mom treated my sisters and I to the ultimate girls night out. We met for dinner at Ruby Tuesdays then headed to the E Center for...So You Think You Can Dance! It was really fun. We had great seats and got to watch our favorite dances all over again. The concert was 3 hours long and and featured some of season 4's classics: "No Air" "Bleeding Love" the bed one, the door one etc.. Basically the E center was filled to capacity with screaming girls. Surprisingly enough, the star of the show was not Joshua, but Utah's own Gev. They spent the second half of the show making fun of his crush on his first partner Courtney. If you recognize all these names, then I am as embarrassed for you as I am for myself! All in all it was a great night--I love you Mom, Janny, and Shi!

P.S. On our way out they were handing out fliers for the NKOTB reunion concert--Anyone Game?

Yes--I am an animal lover!

2008-09-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Cosmo and I were very excited about this weeks BYU game. 44-0, Go Cougs!!

Homemade kazoo

2008-09-17T15:47:00.001-07:00

I recently joined a "joy school" group in our neighborhood where a few moms around here take turns hosting preschool for our kids. It is a cheap way for Saylor to have a preschool experience and 6 days out of the month I get a couple of free hours. Anyway, today was my turn and I decided that we would make homemade kazoos. Instructions are as follows:

Take a toilet paper roll, slap some wax paper on it, hold it in place with a rubber band. Enjoy hours of loud kiddie entertainment. Saylor will not put hers down. She asked to take a nap with it. I said yes and after listening to her play Old MacDonald for an hour straight I had to take it away so she would sleep. I highly recommend this musical undertaking!

Toddler Logic

2008-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

We were driving home from running errands today and Saylor and I had a very interesting conversation.

Saylor: Look mom, a flag!

Me: Oh, Hi Flag.

Saylor: No! The flag does not have eyes.

Me: The flag doesn't have eyes?

Saylor: Yes, so it doesn't have a mouth.

Me: Oh, so it can't say hi?

Saylor: Right. It doesn't have a nose or hands.

Game Day and Game Night

2008-09-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the BYU vs. UCLA game 59-0 need I say more? Afterwards we decided to keep the fun going by having a gamenight with my cousins and Snow's brothers at my parent's house. We resurrected some college favorites like Mafia (our version is called werewolves) and the sign game. Good food. Good People. Good Times.

Soccer Star

2008-09-16T12:44:00.001-07:00

One day snow was in a local sporting goods store and they were have soccer sign ups. He thought this would be great for Saylor (who is not yet 3) and signed her up. She is now on a team of 5 other 3 year-olds named the white sharks. She loves her soccer ball, she loves her soccer shoes, she even loves her soccer socks (shin guards) what she does not love is playing soccer. Actually she really likes kicking the ball as long as no one else gets in her way and as long as it is only for like 3 minutes. Her amazing coach has a practice every week, during which time she usually does somersaults in the grass or begs to play on the slide. On game day Saylor usually only gets contact with the ball when it is her turn to kick it in from out of bounds. She even cries when other kids come and kick the ball away from her saying "it is my turn to kick the ball and they taked it". Her only goal this year may be the one she scored while they were warming up. I love that sharing and taking turns are virtues she has assimilated. I also like that she is not an aggressive girl, but what this translates to in soccer terms is that her soccer skills are about as good as mine. Those of you that know me well are now feeling really sorry for Saylor! It is fun for her to be a part of a team, and I am sure we will sign her up again next year. Oh yeah, the highlight of last weeks game: finding a "magic wand" (ie music baton) in the grass.

Cousins

2008-09-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

Mary Ellen (Snow's sister) and Jeremy were in town visiting with their kids early September. It was nice for Saylor to get to play with her only cousins for a couple of days. We went to Jeremy's parents house and they had all kinds of fun stuff: a jumping castle, a giant ball you can be rolled in, a swingset etc. Saylor could not get enough of the ball. Honestly, I don't know where she got her sudden drive for extreme sports. We tried to get a picture of them together, but it is always tricky to try to get 4 kids looking happy at the same time. This was our best effort:

We miss you Ashton, Sydney, and Raymee!

Yuba Lake August 30th

2008-09-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

My parents took us all to the lake to do a little boating. We had planned on wake boarding, but it was a little too cold and windy. We ended up getting out the tube and my daredevil of a daughter hogged it most of the time.

She loved riding it, she just sat there singing songs and protesting when her ride was over. She was also the only one, along with her Uncle Lot, to get in the frigid water voluntarily.The rest of us spent most of the time enjoying the boat ride and soaking in what sun we could.

Question: what do you do with a recently potty0trained child on a boat for several hours?

Answer:

It was a short trip to the lake because we had a BYU football game to get to, but it was really fun. Thanks Mom and Dad for your work to make it such a fun day!

Pool Party

2008-09-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

Snow had a retreat for work the end of August. I didn't want to stay at home with Saylor by myself, so we decided to go spend the weekend with my parents. It was really fun. The highlight of the weekend for Saylor was going swimming at the Provo pool. We went with my Mom, Jan, and Gabby. Saylor was really excited about the beach ball Grandma had for her to bring.

She loved swimming with Gabby and worked up a serious appetite--for candy!She waited patiently when they had to do a safety check and made everyone get out of the water. But her favorite thing about the pool were the big slides. I was hesitant to take her at first--I just knew she would hate it and be traumatized--but she LOVED it. We rode about 6 times and she threw a serious tantrum when we had to leave.Side-note story: I don't know about kids these days. While Saylor was swimming with the aforementioned beach ball, it got away from her. An older boy (maybe 6) got it and started playing with it. Gabby tried to go to the rescue and asked the kid for her friend's ball back. The kid responded by holding it above Gabby's head and laughing while she tried to grab it. I decided to intervene so I walked over to the kid and asked if I could have my daughters ball back. He gave me a dirty look and threw it in my face. What the!!! I couldn't believe a kid would be rude like that to an adult. I said really loud "you need a time out" hoping a parent would here, but they were probably too busy reading twilight to pay attention to their child.

Haircut

2008-08-19T05:54:00.001-07:00

So what did you do last night? Have a nice, cozy FHE? Watch the women's Olympic trampoline finals? Me--I cried my eyes out. I will explain. We had a nice family dinner then I started doing the dishes, and Snow had a paper to write, so as a special treat he let Saylor sit in the computer chair and watch an episode of Wonderpets online. She was, of course completely mesmerized. In fact she didn't even make a peep. I took advantage of her being occupied and started cleaning a bathroom. What a rookie mom mistake! Isn't it rule number one that a too quiet child is getting into trouble. So once the bathroom is done I come to get Saylor and this is what I see:

Yep, Saylor climbed onto the desk and found her kid scissors and went to town. She sees me and says "Mom, I breaked my hair, you gotta fix it." Sorry kid, no Dora band aid is going to fix this problem!I will say this for her: she was very thorough. No half-hearted snip of the bangs here, the top of her head is pretty much hairless.I don't know about where you live, but here EMO bangs on a mullet are not the latest toddler hair craze.Yep, she looks pretty repentant right?Psych! I don't even think my talented stylist sister can salvage this do, at least for a few months. So do I take a page out of my elderly neighbor's handbook and go for the comb-over? Maybe I pretend she is a newborn here in Utah and put a giant flower band on her head. Really, I am at a loss. So much for the pictures I had planned for next week. Snow and I did come up with one positive each.

Snow: at least her bangs won't be getting in her eyes (ha, ha, ha--I am not amused).

Summer: at least I have something to put on the blog.

Saylor's Cover of Old MacDonald

2008-08-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

My 10-year High School Reunion

2008-07-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

My 10-yr High School Reunion was this last weekend and it was SO much fun. Two of my best friends from high school, Tara and Kathryn, spent the weekend at my house. We were sadly missing the fourth member of our quartet Leah, who couldn't make the trip out. I haven't had a girls weekend since I got married and we had the best time. It was the perfect combination of heart-to-heart talks and belly-aching laughter. We stayed up until all hours of the morning reliving our favorite memories. The day of our reunion we went shopping to put the final flourishes on our outfit for that night. I forgot how much fun it is to have a girls opinion on those kinds of things. We even shared our most prized beauty secerts (ie spanks--where have they been all my life?)We all got dressed together and Kathryn did our make-up. I have been borderline bare-faced for so long, but Kathryn gave us all SMOKEY-EYES so we were totally glam. Another of our friends, Ashlie, joined up with us so we could make an entrance together. The reunion was at the Provo Library and we had a great turn out. One of the organizers said that they were estimating that around 30% of our class came. Overall people were still very much the same. It was really fun to say see everyone and get reaquainted. I even found out that many of my old friends live near by so it will be fun to re-establish those relationships. I feel really blessed to have such wonderful friends--spending the weekend with them made me feel 16 again. Ten years later and we still got it! Thanks for making the trip pretty princesses--I had the BEST time!

Handcart Days

2008-07-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

Our town celebrates the 24th of July with a city celebration known as handcart days. We attended the parade for the first time this year and Saylor thought it was a hit. The parade started at 6 in the evening, and we ended up sitting on the East side of the street with some friends. Unfortunately, there was no shade so it was pretty toasty. Once things got started though, the heat was forgotten. They started things off right by handing out little American flags for everyone. Saylor waved hers diligently the whole time! The parade had a plethora of classic cars, siren blaring vehicles, marching bands, princesses, and floats. They threw lots of candy, which I selflessly helped Saylor to eat so she didn't get a tummy-ache. The highlight for Saylor was a truck that tossed out stuffed animals. Snow managed to snag a really cute (not!) stuffed creature for Saylor. All in all it was a fun time.

Favorite Summer Treat

2008-07-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

I realized that Saylor has had a sadly deprived childhood. Up until a week ago, I had neglected to introduce her to the untimate Summer treat--the Shaved Ice. First, let's get something straight...a shaved ice is NOT the same thing as a snowcone. Snowcones are made from crusty, crunchy ice, shaved ice is made from feather light shavings, and trust me, texture is everything. while shopping at The Gateway on a really hot day last week, we spied a shaved ice stand. Truthfully, I wasn't sure that Saylor would like it, so I got one for us to share. I got my flavor of choice: Tigers blood (a benign mixtue of strawberry and coconut). Saylor took one bite and claimed the cup for her own. As a bonus, the red flavoring did not even stain her clothing!

How We Have Been Spending July

2008-07-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Summer has been flying by quickly--so quickly that I have once again gotten behind on the blog. I wanted to take a minute to share with you how we have spent the last few weeks. I am sorry if this is a long entry--You are welcome to revert to your childhood days of just looking at the pictures if my narration is too dull.

Some of our bigger news is that Snow is doing Ophthalmology full-time now. He is pleased that he spends his time doing what interests him, but sadly, the hours have not improved by much.

Other big news--Saylor is potty trained. I had been putting this task off for a really long time, but I finally got brave and 2 weeks ago Saylor and I got to work. It was actually pretty easy. I read a book called toilet training in less than a day, and it really only took about 4 hours. They were not pleasant 4 hours, but still I had no idea she would pick it up so fast. I think she was just ready emotionally and physically, but she has been a champ and surprisingly, it hasn't cramped our style too much--No searching frantically for a bathroom with a cart full of groceries or anything yet!

Snow and I made a little get-away to St. George a couple of weeks ago. It was so nice--my grandma and mom watched Saylor for 4 days. We stayed at my parent's condo so it was pretty budget friendly. It was glorious to have nothing to do but watch movies (in the theater!!) and go out to eat. We also saw Les Miserables at Tuachan. It was amazing--the setting was gorgeous and since it is outside that did some pretty unique staging including fireworks and horse drawn carriages. It was warm, but not unbearable. I will say that the seats were not made for Biggest Loser contestants, and the portly gentleman who happened to be sitting next to me was kind of invading my personal space. Also, Snow got stuck sitting by a guy with gas (sorry to be so indelicate)he spent a lot of the show with his program over his nose. Otherwise the cast was really talented and it was totally worth seeing.

Saylor has been spending a lot of time out doors in her swimming suit. I slather her with sunscreen, but I am really jealous of her tan.

Her favorite activity indoors, when things are just too toasty outside is to play "fashion show". She likes to dress up and have me describe her outfit and she isn't content until I have used such adjectives as "stunning" "enchanting" and "lovely".

Saylor's other favorite indoor activity is hide-and-go-seek. She is not very good at this game. She hides in the same 2 spots every time and they are both in plain view. The other day I was upstairs making dinner and I heard the familiar call "Mom--come find me" I came down stairs and checked the usual spots and couldn't find her.

Somehow I failed to notice the toy crates mysteriously stacked on top of each other. For the first time when Saylor hid, I couldn't seek.

Finally, this last weekend Snow had a glorious Saturday off. After mowing the lawn we took a family hike. We brought Saylor so our hike was only about 20 yards long, but it was nice to be outside together. We also went to a Real Soccer game which was really fun. The boisterous crown made Saylor a little nervous. You can tell by the deer-in-headlights expression that she has while clapping. She ended up hiding between our arms for protection. It was a good time

David Cook, David Archuleta, and Saylor

2008-06-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

Zoo Day

2008-06-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

We decided to go to the Zoo a few weeks ago. Sadly, every family in Utah had the same idea (probably because it was the first sunny Saturday in 7 months). Jan, Danny (her boyfriend), and Gabbie(his daughter) came.

It was crowded, but fun--all except for the part where Danny had to wait 45 minutes for a snow cone. Saylor's favorite part of the Zoo was the playground--she probably would have been just as happy at the local park, but at least we got to see a white alligator and a baby giraffe.

Fun, fun, fun. We don't always get the opportunity for fun family time like this with Snow's crazy schedule so we really enjoyed it. As an added bonus we were able to take home a monkey of our own!

Flower Planting Party

2008-05-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

My Grandma is an amazing gardener--her yard is always lush and beautiful. Sadly, this gift did not get passed on to me. Everything that Snow and I planted last Summer died. For my birthday, my grandma offered to pick out my flowers and help me plant them. I know--what an amazing gift! I was determined that these plants thrive, so I went to my local nursery and spent an obscene amount on mulch whose primary ingredients are chicken manure and bat guano--yummy. First of all, working the aforementioned mulch into my clay soil was not a job for light-weights. By the time my flower beds were weeded and mulched I was exhausted and Grandma hadn't even come with the flowers yet.

She and my mom arrived with a trunk full of beautiful blooms. It was so fun to spend the afternoon planting with them, and the results were great. I will post some more pictures as the flowers continue to fill out and spread.

AFTER

Spring Update

2008-05-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for my blogging hiatus. I wish I had a good excuse for not keeping things current here, but I think I will just have to chalk it up to laziness. Our family is super excited that we have had some better weather. Saylor has turned feral--she would live outside if I threw string cheese out to her occasionally. Some of our recent favorite activities (and by our I mean Saylor's) include: 1. Coloring outside with sidewalk chalk. Saylor loves it, it is less fun for me because Saylor hogs all the good colors and insists that I draw nothing but snakes. We got some 3D Sidewalk chalk, which pretty much means you pay a lot for cool green glasses. Saylor has already worn the chalk down to nubs. 2. Yard work. This translates into me pulling weeds with a little tool while Saylor constantly asks "Can I turn, Can I turn". When she "helps" Snow outside he ends up giving her disgusting things to hold like snails and worms. I know my Mom is having a heart attack right now, but for the record, I washed her hands REALLY well afterwards. 3. Snow spent his time off for 3 weeks putting together a swing set--Seriously, what a good dad! As you can see from these pictures, Saylor couldn't be happier. She loves being cheered on while she slides. She is extremely tricky because she can slide on both her belly and her rear. Her real love is swinging. She will inform you that she wants to "go even higher" when you are pushing her. In fact, if you make the mistake of not giving her a big enough push she will say, "That's too little." and insist that you try again.

Happy Easter

2008-04-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. We had a really nice one. My great -grandmother passed away two days before while she was visiting from out of state. Since the real funeral would take place in Arkansas, we had our own family memorial on Easter Sunday. It was really nice. Granny was 93 and had lived a full life. It was wonderful to get to visit together and celebrate her. It really brought home the true meaning of Easter for me. I have never felt so grateful for the gift of the Saviors resurrection and atonement. The Easter Bunny did not forget Saylor. She was thrilled to find a basket of goodies hiding for her in her "house"There was also some Easter egg hunting for everyone. My parents even hid some money eggs for us adult kids. Snow was the big winner who found the $50 prize egg. I am hoping he decides to take me out to dinner with it hint hint.
My favorite part of the day was during the kid's egg hunt.Saylor was making her way towards a big pink plastic egg, when a cousin who is a year older, ran ahead of her and snagged it. She snuck up behind him and took it straight from his basket without a word. It was pretty hilarious.

Arizona Vacation

2008-04-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Snow finally got a week off and we decided to spend our vacation visiting family in Arizona. We made the 11-hour drive to Eagar, Arizona. I got he bright idea to try to make the time go by faster by listening to a book on tape--but not just any book on tape--Twilight. BIG mistake. The sure fire way to ruin a girls love of this book is to listen to it on the road with her husband. Snow is still talking about how perfect Edward's face is. We did, however, decide that Snow and Edward have a lot in common. They are both sleep deprived, leaving them with dark circle under their eyes. They are both ill-tempered when they are hungry (although I don't have the advantage of a change of eye color to warn me). They both would prefer to drive fast, and of course they both have brooding good looks, perfect features, and chiseled musculature. This is a picture of Eagar. I am not sure which of those tiny dots is Snow's house, but you can imagine that this was a welcomed quiet retreat for us. So what does one do to entertain oneself in a town such as this?

Go shooting of course. You can see how natural I look holding this 22. Obviously I would intimidate any bad guy!

A person might also consider arm wrestling their siblings to combat boredom.Happily for Snow, the aforementioned muscles led him to victory every time. We also played a little American Idol on the PlayStation. If you think that I look like a dork in this picture, you would be wrong. This is me singing Straight Up by Paula AbdulThis is a picture of my perfect score while singing Straight Up. Simon said it was the best performance that he has ever heard. I am sending them a copy of this picture and I am pretty confidant that I won't even need to try out next year. I think I will automatically be in the top 24. We spent a good deal of time playing Killer Bunnies. It was really fun--we definitely recommend this game to friends.We did a lot of couch sitting and reading. There were so many people to entertain Saylor that I read a whole book in two days. These is my Words (Thanks for the recommendation Amelia, I really liked it)We played a few party games and at one point resorted to knocking over chap stick with our noses. I was the only one that could do it, I am not sure if that makes me talented or freakish.Saylor got to dye eggs with her grandma and auntie Naomi. She wanted it to be memorable for them so she spilled green dye all over grandma's carpet. We also celebrated Snow getting older. Mid-week we loaded up the car and drove the 5 hours to Tucson. We had a great time visiting with friends and Saylor loved spending time with her cousins.It really was a great trip. We got much needed relaxation and have to say a huge thanks to everyone for their hospitality, and for being such enthusiastic playmates for Saylor. We miss you already!!

Birthday Dinner

2008-04-03T18:01:00.001-07:00

We did a lot of celebrating for Snow's 30th--My parents took the whole family plug significant others out to dinner. We also had cake and ice cream with Snow's family during our Eagar vacation. We wrapped up the partying by having some friends over when we were back in town. Let's just say it would be good for my figure if we don't see cake or ice cream for a while. We appreciate all our family and friends celebrating with us!

Happy 30th Birthday Snow!!!

2008-03-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

Snow turns 30 (yikes!) on March 19th. I wanted to take a minute to celebrate him by sharing with you 30 things that I love about him. Here they are in no particular order:

1. He is an amazing dad. He puts in grueling 12 hour + days, then comes home and starts building towers with Saylor. He makes it a point to give her his undivided attention and makes her laugh like no one else can.

2. He is a hard worker. He gives everything 110%. He is successful in all of his educational/professional pursuits. He is driven and goal-oriented. He is the only person that I know who actually keeps his New Year's resolutions!

3. He is hot. It goes without saying that I have always thought that I married a good-lookin' man, but the icing on the cake is that lately he has been lifting weights....dang!

4. He is a spiritual leader in our home. He makes sure that we stay on track with the gospel essentials. He never misses a night reading his scriptures or saying his prayers. He motivates us to have FHE and attend the temple. I am so grateful that these things are important to him.

5. He is so intelligent. I am amazed at all of the different things that he knows and is interested in. I love to hear him talk about a topic--sometimes (especially when it is something medicine related)I don't know what he is talking about, but I am still impressed!

6. He is not stingy with the compliments. I think he has a 6th sense about these things because he always knows when I need to hear something nice about myself.

7. He is funny--I love his dry sense of humor. Sometimes he is funny when he isn't even trying. My college roommates and I affectionately refer to these moments as "Snow Stories".

8. He is assertive. I am always impressed at the way he stands up for himself and his beliefs.

9. He loves techno music and Mexican food. Just hearing a Cascada song makes me smile and think of him. I mention this because he has so many sides--I am always learning something new about him. I love all the quirks that make him Snow.

10. He is meticulous (maybe to a fault). I always know that if he is doing a job, it will be done right. He takes great care of everything: his clothes, his teeth, the yard, his car, and of course his family. As a side note he is exactly the kind of surgeon I would want working on my eyes!

11. He is a good teacher. No matter the situation, he has his "students" eating out of the palm of his hand. he is always reinventing the wheel to make his subject-matter more interesting.

12. He is generous with everything: his time, his talents, his resources, his forgiveness.

13. It may sound cliche but he makes me want to be a better person. He treats me like I am already my best self.

14. He is health conscious. Maybe it is silly, but I appreciate that healthy eating and exercise is important to him. I take it as a compliment to myself--he must want to be alive and around me a loooooooong time!

15. He likes trying new things. He even consented to taking dance lessons with me (now if only we can find the time to do it!)

16. He can tell when I feel stressed or overwhelmed and is quick to give me a hand.

17. He is a worthy priesthood holder--I have realized what a blessing this is even more now that we have Saylor. He also honors motherhood. He makes me feel that what I do--taking care of our home and daughter--is the most important work that there is.

18. Family time is important to him, when he has time off, he wants to spend it with us.

19. He is really handy and can fix things around the house or with our cars. I don't know if there is a secret guy handbook or something but, given the time, he can figure out anything.

20. He encourages me to develop my talents and boosts my confidence.

21. He is fun. He sees the value in having a good time.

22. He understands that sometimes I am an irrational, overly-sensitive girl and he doesn't make fun of me for it. He has become a great listener, and knows that most of the time I just need a sounding board and not advice.

23. He is good with people. He makes friends quickly and connects with others, be it a neighbor or a patient.

24. He can do anything!!! Seriously, anytime he is interested in something he can do it. Whether it is building a web site, fixing sprinklers, playing the harmonica. If he wants to (or has to, in the case of the sprinklers) he does it well.

25. He has an informed opinion about things and is willing to share it. Be it a political view or the decor of our house I can count on him for an honest opinion.

26. He has a tender, sensitive side. OK, so he hasn't cried in a movie since Charly, but he is still an amazingly kind and gentle husband and father. He is so good at taking care of the needs of others before himself.

27. He still holds my hand when we drive, snuggles me every night, and kisses me goodbye every morning. My eyes are welling up right now, but I love that he shows me daily affection. I am also grateful that he is a father who is affectionate with his child. Saylor knows that her daddy loves her!

28. He is creative. He has the ability to picture something in his head and then create it. It might be a sketch of a dog for Saylor, refinishing a piece of furniture, or a presentation for work--in every situation he is an artist.

29. He is loyal to the church, to his family, to BYU (go cougs!). I always know that we are a team and that he is on my side.

30. I know I already said it, but I think it is worth mentioning again--He is a HOTTIE!

I could go on and on but I am sure that you, and I hope that he gets the point. I love Snow very much. The other day I made homemade hot fudge sauce to go on top of dessert. He went on and on about the fudge, saying how it made the dessert amazing. Snow is the hot fudge in my life--he makes everything better and sweeter. Happy 30th Birthday babe!!!!!

The Great Debate

2008-03-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Since Saylor's birth there has been a debate about who she most resembles. My family swears she is me in miniature while Snow's family says she is him made over. Personally I think she is a good mix.

lately I have realized that she is also a mix of our other characteristics.
Ways she is like Summer:

She is a smidgen uncoordinated. When she dances it looks painful and she trips over things all of the time--especially when she is tired. Sorry angel bug, you got that from your mom!
She has a real sweet tooth. Her favorite treat is chocolate, again, just like me. In fact, she does not realize that brown is a color. Instead she says things like look at the chocolate fence or I want the chocolate football. ( I swear I am not making this stuff up!)
She also wants to read her favorite book over and over and over. I don't know why we read it anymore because she has Moo Baa La La La memorized. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have read Pride and Prejudice. I can, however, tell you that after finishing it (again) last week that all still works out well for Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Ways she is like Snow:

Saylor is a little OCD. She shuts any cabinet doors and drawers that are left open, and she refuses to mix her toys. If I want to torture her, I will have Dora take a ride on an elephant from Noah's Ark...MELTDOWN! Snow is also a little OCD. I am sure that is why is he has been successful in school (and why his 10-year-old church shoes are still stored in their box, and why he compulsively rubs his hands together)
Snow is really good with languages, he speaks Portuguese from the mission and used it to "pick up" Spanish while we lived in Tucson. Saylor is a really verbal kid who uses sign language and speaks Spanish (OK she is certainly not fluent, but she is always surprising me with a new word that she "picked up" from Dora)
Saylor's other favorite food is cheese, any kind, any time. No paternity test needed here--Snows favorite snack growing up was cheese and sugar melted together--mmmm delicioso.

I know I am being a little facetious here, but it really is a pleasure and a little scary to watch our daughter act a little bit more like us each day. Poor kid!

Where do they come up with this stuff?

2008-03-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Saylor's imagination amazes me sometimes. Whether she is pretending the crust of her bread is a snake, or that the lid to her blocks is the steering wheel of a car, nothing is as it seems at our house. She recently told me her name was "baby kitty-cat," and truth be told, she is much more obedient when I call her by that appellation. She cracked me up the other day--She had been way too quiet for way too long so I went to investigate. She managed to open the rubber tote that holds all the baby toys and stacked them inside her old baby swing. I would have to say that her mounding skills rivaled that of my grandma at a salad bar (love you grams!!!). There are probably 15 toys in this picture.She also likes to "help" me clean the house. I usually send her into the living room with a dust mop while I work furiously to finish up the kitchen floor before she gets bored. The other day she was, again, way too quite. I walk in to see her hanging from the dust mop that she had propped up against the couch. When she saw me, she smiled and said"look Mom, I'm a sloth!" What?!
I really wish I had half her energy and half her ingenuity!

Grandma & Naomi Visit

2008-03-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to have Snow's mom and sister out for a visit this last week. It was so fun. Naomi just got home from serving a mission in Hong Kong so we hadn't seen here for a long time. It took Saylor a little while to warm up to our visitors, but with a bribe of a big stuffed frog and bumble bee toy she was happy to embrace our company.

Saylor was spoiled by all of the attention. She loved having a new audience to show off all of her "tricks." As you can see from her unkempt appearance, she played pretty hard with Grandma!The day before they left we took them on a tour of the Moran Eye Center where Snow is doing his residency (I know how mean are we to make Snow go back on his first weekend off in months?!)

When we got inside Saylor was so impressed. She kept saying "Wow ! it is muy big!"

She was also really excited about the roundabout that is designed like a giant eye outside this window. Who says Ophthalmalogists don't have a sense of humor?I made Snow examine my eyes and let me tell you the results weren't pretty. He told me I am barely legal to drive! He was pretty anxious to get me under the knife (or laser?!), but I told him we would have to save that for another weekend excursion.

A fun new way to waste time

2008-03-06T12:25:00.000-08:00

I have never been a big fan of video or computer games, but my sister-in-law sent us this room escape game (vision) and ever since I have been addicted to point-and-click room escape games. Here is a link to a bunch of different ones. The bonus is that they have a walk through cheat to help you out if you get stuck. Don't complain to me though if you start playing the computer during your kid's nap time instead of something productive!

http://jayisgames.com/tag/escape

Easter in Eggs Family Tradition

2008-03-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

When Snow and I were first married my mother-in-law sent us this great family tradition and I thought I would share it with you. I love Easter candy as much as the next person (quick confession: I ate a whole family size of cadbury mini eggs myself this week), but I think it is really important to take some time to focus on the what we are really supposed to be celebrating--the resurrection of our Savior. So here is what my family likes to do: get 12 plastic Easter eggs and number them 1-12. Print out the scriptures and explanation and then get the 11 household objects together. Put each numbered slip of paper and corresponding object inside each egg (i.e. in egg number 1 you put in slip of paper number 1 and a sacrament cup). You can have a FHE where you do an actual egg hunt and then open each egg in order, read the scriptures together or, for younger kids, tell the story using the description. You could also use it as Family Scripture Study for the 12 days preceding Easter. Anyway, I hope you like it!

1. Luke 22: 40-44 Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray and atone for the sins of the world. He asked Heavenly Father to bless him. He did not want to suffer. He said to Heavenly Father: “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” But Jesus wanted to obey Heavenly Father and he loved each of Heavenly Father’s children. He would suffer for all the people who repented of their sins. (Object: Sacrament cup)

2. Matt 26:14-16, 47-50 One of Jesus’ 12 apostles, Judas Iscariot, made a deal with some wicked Jewish rulers who wanted to hurt Jesus. They said they would give Judas 30 pieces of silver (the cost of a slave) if he would show them where Jesus was. (Object 3 dimes)

3. Matt 27:1-2 The wicked men took Jesus to the Caiaphas the High Priest. They held an illegal trial against him (Matt 26:57-68) and found him guilty of blasphemy. The next morning they tied him up and took him to Pontius Pilate the Roman leader who had the authority to put criminals to death. (Object: piece of rope)

4. Matt 27:22-25 Pilate asked Jesus many questions (John 18:29-38), then told the Jewish rulers that Jesus had done nothing wrong. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, the vassal ruler of Galilee. Jesus did not speak to Herod and he was sent back to Pilate. Pilate wanted to let Jesus go, but the chief priests and elders hated Jesus. They mingled among the multitude (Matt 27:20) and encouraged them to ask Pilate to “Crucify him!” Pilate didn’t want trouble with the Jews, so he washed his hands in front of the people, saying, “I am free of the blood of this just person.” Pilate let the Roman soldiers take Jesus away and crucify him. (Object: Piece of Soap)

5. Mark 15:15-20 The Roman soldiers took Jesus, removed his outer clothes, and put a purple robe on him. They put a crown of thorns on his head and a reed in his hand. They called him names, spit on him, hit him, and scourged him. (Object: piece purple cloth)

6. John 19:16-19; 3 Nephi 11:4 After doing all of these terrible things to Jesus, they made him carry a wooden cross to Calvary’s hill. They nailed his hands and feet to the cross, and then raised it. (Object cross made out of trimmed matchsticks and hot glue and a nail)

7. John 19:23-24 As Jesus hung on the cross he prayed for Heavenly Father to forgive the people who had hurt him because they didn’t realize that he was the Savior. The soldiers took Jesus’ clothes and played a game called “casting lots” to see who would win them. (Object: Dice)

8. Matt 27: 46, 50-54 Jesus’ mother, friends, and followers were very sad. Jesus suffered on the cross for many hours. Once he had completed his atoning sacrifice, he voluntarily allowed his spirit to leave his body and died. The sky was dark, there were earthquakes in Jerusalem and in the Americas. Rocks broke into pieces and the veil in the temple was torn. Many people were afraid. (Object: Small rocks like gravel)

9. Matt 27:57-59 A follower of Jesus named Joseph asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. He wrapped it in clean cloth. (Object: white cloth)

10. Matt 27:60-66 Joseph then laid Jesus’ body in his own tomb and rolled a great stone in front of the door. At the request of the Jewish rulers, Pilate placed soldiers to watch the tomb to make sure nothing happened to the body. (Object large rock)

11. Luke 23:55-56, 24:1 Jesus’ body was in the tomb for 3 days (Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday morning). Mary Magdalene and some other women came to the tomb to finish anointing Jesus’ body with spices (a tradition the Jews had for taking care of their dead before they were buried). (Object: Some kind of spice --I use a piece of a cinnamon stick)

12. Luke 24:2-8; John 20:11-16 When the women got to the tomb the stone was rolled away from the door and the soldiers sent to watch the tomb were gone. They looked inside and Jesus’ body was not there. They saw an angel who told them “Jesus is not here, for he is risen as he said” Jesus was resurrected—his perfected body was reunited with his spirit and he would never die again. Jesus appeared to Mary, to many of his followers, and to the Nephites in America. Jesus promised that we too will be resurrected as a special gift from him. Every Easter we celebrate that Sunday morning when Jesus Christ was resurrected. (Empty egg)

Pretty Princesses

2008-02-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

This last week I had the joy of getting to have lunch with two of my best friends from high school: Leah and Kathryn. We were sadly missing the fourth person in our quartet: Tara. We are scattered all over the place and certainly don't get to see each other as often as we would like, but we do try to keep in touch. After a delicious lunch and some girl talk I had a long drive home. I became really nostalgic and so, if you will indulge me, here are some of my favorite memories with my pretty princesses.

1. Listening to jock jams on the way to the football games in order to pump ourselves up. My personal favorite was "no limits" I belive Tara favored 'This is how we do it" .

2. Going to sunshine tournament. I don't want to hurt any feeling, but those present will recall that we were not allowed to eat after 6pm, only one person was allowed to ride shot gun, and this same person was the only one allowed to control the radio.

3. Our guy friends often liked to camp out on the weekends. We liked to go up for the evening to enjoy the s'mores and scary stories but we always came back home to sleep indoors. Once, we got the bright idea to borrow my dad's camo gear and halloween masks and sneak up on the boys. It was amazing, some squealed like little girls, some broke chairs for weapons, and some ran away. There were definately no tough guys present. Although when you take a look at this picture who can blame them? They should get points for not wetting themselves.

4. Going on A Cappella tour with Leah--so fun!!! Please no comments on my big hair!!

5. Trying to wake Kathryn up in the moring after she had slept over at my house--can you say SCARY. I would rather wake a hybernating bear. Happily for Kathryn's future hubby, she is a ray of sunshine in the morning now, thanks to serving a mission.

6. Various trips to the St. George Condo and Lake Powell. We spent a lot of time singing into spoons, shopping, and laying out--I think Tara still has scars from a bad sunburn on one of these trips.

7. Caution--this story is slightly inappropriate. The night before Prom we slept at my house and had a pamerping session. We all had face masks on and cucumbers on our eyes. Don't ask me why but I had a fake arm in my room. I got Leah and Kathryn's attention and while Tara was sitting obliviously beneath her cucumbers we had the fake arm bust a move on Tara--let's just say it got to second base. We waited, trying not to laugh, to see how she would handle thinking one of her friends was a creeper. I can still picture her peeking warily from under the cucumber slices and all of us busting a gut laughing at the relief on her face when she realized it wasn't one of us with our hand on her chest!!!

8. Sleeping out on my trampoline. Sadly we often forgot to turn off the sprinklers. Once we had a covert spying mission where we traversed the neighborhood to the house of some guys we liked. They happened to be sleeping on their tramp too. We crawled army style across the yard until we were under their tramp and spent the evening listening to them talk. That is how we first learned the D------had a crush on S-------.

Really I could go on all day, but Saylor will be waking up from her nap soon. Suffice it to say that I have great friends and great memories. Here are a few pictures of us back in the day.

Leah's mom was the photographer this photo session.I put this picture on as an inside joke--is that bad blogging etiquette?Graduation day--we are doing the "sista salute"--man we were cool. This is us sending Kathryn off to SVU for school.

P.S. Cindy, Niki called and said you have a shoot this weekend together!

Ode to Skookie

2008-02-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

My mother gave Snow and I a Christmas gift that has changed our lives. Ok--that was a little hyperbole, but it has revolutionized the way we eat dessert. May I present SKOOKIE:

While living in Tucson, we found this little Italian place that made a "pizzookie". A big cookie baked in a deep dish skillet and topped with icecream. We fell in love. Sadly, the wait for this restaurant on a weekend averaged 2-3 hours, and we were poor medical students, so we never went back. Now, joy of joys, we can make this dessert at home in our skookie skillets. I buy tubes of pilsbury cookie dough and...wait for it...brownie batter; whenever we get the itch for a treat (which is almost every night) we are ready to smoosh it in the skillet. 15 minutes later chocolate is taking all of our problems away. Seriously, you all need to go out and purchase some skookies and then thank me!!!!!

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

2008-01-28T14:09:00.001-08:00

Winter Weather Blues

2008-01-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

I am really tired of this cold weather. We were definitely spoiled by the Old Pueblo climate, I don't know how I grew up here. The worst of it is trying to keep a 2-year-old entertained. At first Saylor was intrigued. She didn't know what to make of all this cold white stuff. I couldn't wait to build a snowman with her. I got her all bundled up and she set one foot in the snow and cried "stuck, stuck, I stuck mommy." She spent the rest of the time watching me build the snowman from the safety of our covered patio. In fact, her favorite part of the whole episode was eating the snowman's face. She also enjoys helping me shovel the driveway. Her tool of choice--a kitchen spoon. Most of the time, however, we are stuck indoors. I have tried to come up with fun things to do: finger paint with shaving cream, all kinds of balloon games...but my greatest success was turning a huge furniture box into a "house" for her and letting her color it. She still likes to color the house all the time, but to be frank, there is no more scribble space. I would love to hear any suggestions you have to keep the kiddies entertained while we are all sequestered indoors!!!!

I am still not over the Holidays

2008-01-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

It has taken me forever to update our blog, I know. I feel like I am still trying to recuperate from all of the Holiday festivities. We had a great Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with my extended family, Did our own Christmas morning at home, and then drove back down to do Christmas day with my family again. It was way too much time in the car, but it was nice to spend time with family. Saylor was afraid of Santa Clause and refused to get anywhere near him. She was however, a big fan of all the presents. In fact just yesterday she asked if there were any presents for her to open! Here is a picture of Snow and I Christmas morning. Notice the bags and dark shadows under our eyes. That is because it takes a really long time to put together kid toys!!!! Santa chose a talking baby doll for Saylor that she could care for with her new cradle, high chair and stroller. She thought these toys were great until she opened her stocking and found a 99 cent farm, which is her new favorite toy--now it is bye bye doggie (see November post) hello cow, horse, sheep, pigs, chickens, geese, lamb, dog, cat, mountain, fence, and trees--yes, I now have a few extra pieces to try to keep up with. Here is a picture of Snow & Saylor in a cute Santa dress that Grandma Slade got Saylor. I dare you to find a cuter Daddy/Daughter pair.
I hope all of your Christmas's were as Merry as ours.

Christmas Memory Tag

2007-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

So Leah tagged me forever ago, and I had a hard time thinking about what to write about myself. Last night, I was drifting off to sleep and it came to me...I would share 5 of my favorite Christmas memories and/or traditions. I hope you enjoy!

1. When my sisters and I first became suspicious of the whole Santa thing, my parents hired the mayor of our little town to come dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve after we had gone to bed. They turned on the video camera and "caught" him eating the cookies we had left out for him and setting up our Christmas cache. The video was pretty convincing--I was a believer for several years after that. We invited every nay-saying neighbor kid over to watch our indisputable proof. Mom & Dad--thanks for keeping Christmas magical for so long!

2. Once the effects of the aforementioned video wore off, Jan and I became very sneaky. We once convinced a babysitter to pick the lock of the bedroom that housed our christmas presents so we could get a peek. One year, we discovered that the presents were hidden in the camper of my dad's truck, so Jan climbed through the window and held up all the goodies. That year we got caught when, after our escapade, Jan took out a toy magazine and pointed out to my mom which "jewelry making kit" she wanted for Christmas (my mom had apparently gotten the wrong one). My mom asked "Jan, were you peeking at your presents?" She responded "Summer!!!!!" I responded "Jan you are so stupid!" (not very sisterly I know). The next year I found all of the presents hidden and already wrapped, so I unwrapped mine, tried on my new clothes, then re-wrapped them. After that, I decided Christmas was more fun when you didn't know what you were getting. (before you feel sorry for my mom, I just have to say that she is a far worse present peeker than me!)

3. I have great Christmas memories with my friends. In grade school I wa sover at my best friend's house and we were listening to Christmas music and choreographing dances to them. The trouble was we didn't understand all of the words. For example: noel became no whale and the actions included us shaking our fingers no, and making and then making a diving motion like whales in the water--good times! In high school I had a group of friends that got together and read the forgotten carols every year. We also enjoyed festivities like seeing the lights at temple square, and of course singing in A Cappella and Madrigal choirs. Nothing puts me more in the holiday mood than music. A few years ago my friend Britt, taught me how to make my first quilt--a christmas one. I caught the bug and ended up making matching pillows, stockings, and a tree skirt.

4. Snow and I had a great first Christmas. His grandma gave us an artificial tree that she didn't like and we decorated our apartment (the attic, with the doorless-bathroom in the kitchen.) We used mostly hand-me-down stuff from our parents, but it was so exciting to decorate our first place, and lets face it, anything was an improvement. I also got to experience some of his family Christmas traditions. My favorite is mouse races. We take half a walnut shell, sand teh inside smooth, decorate it like a mouse, and race it down a track by using a marble--so fun! His mom also decorates paper sacks to look like Rudolph and encloses new pajama pants. We all get to open our Rudolph's on Christmas Eve and wear our new PJs to bed.

5. My favorite memories are the times when we did something nice for someone else. We used to like doing the 12 days of Christmas for our older neighbors, making care packages for humanitarian aid instead of getting presents for each other, or drawing names off an angel tree to get presents for a child in need. It always feels good to be a little more generous of spirit.

Honorable mention: Christmas in Hawaii with my family--It didn't really seem like Christmas when it was 80 degrees, but it was so much fun!!!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and makes some great memories this year. I now tag Tiffany Lamb, Erica Lewis, The Headley's, & Matt & Laura Brady. It is your turn to share 5 little-known facts about yourselves, or whatever else you want to share.

Gingerbread with Grandma

2007-12-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is decorating Gingerbread houses with My Grandma Chambers. She is an absolute artist when it comes to home crafts: she sews, quilts, upholsters, decorates cakes, and all kinds of other things. She bakes the gingerbread houses every year--she even sands them down so they make a perfect fit. Then all the grand kids and some of her kids come decorate them. Everything she does is so precise and perfect, I am sure it is painful for her to watch our shaking hands, and imperfect results, but she is always patient and we have so much fun.

This was the first time in 4 or 5 years that I have been here in Utah to participate and as a bonus my sisters were able to come decorate their houses at the same time. We talked, laughed, and ate way more candy than ended up on our houses.

Thanks Grandma for helping us to enjoy such a fun family tradition. I am proudly displaying the finished product at my house, and so far Saylor hasn't managed to break off a single icicle!

Decorating For Christmas

2007-12-01T11:29:00.001-08:00

Victory in Cougar Town

2007-11-29T07:52:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many of you say the BYU vs. Utah game on the 24th but it was glorious! Snow and I were lucky enough to score some tickets and it was freezing, but so much fun.
We knew it would be an exciting game, and we were not disappointed. We were trailing the Utes 10-9, and had control of the ball with 1:34 remaining on the game clock. All the folks dressed in red thought they had it in the bag, and Snow and I were pretty nervous. Max Hall was hit for an eight-yard loss on first down, followed by two incomplete passes to Dennis Pitta, which brought us to fourth-and-18. Hall connected with Collie for a 49-yard reception, putting the Cougars on Utah's 24 yard line. A personal foul and pass interference call against the Utes (which they are still complaining about) set up a first-and-10 situation for BYU. Manase Tonga gained three yards then Unga made a 14-yard touchdown run to put the Cougars up by five points. Opting for the two-point conversion, Hall and Collie connected once again for a catch in the end zone. Sadly for the Utes, they could not return the favor in the 30 seconds or so left on the clock so victory was ours!
Pretty much the whole stadium rushed the field to celebrate--I love BYU Football!

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-29T07:48:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. We had a great time with our family--here is a picture of us in the morning before we went into a turkey coma. I feel so grateful for all of the good things in my life especially my family and friends!

Happy Birthday Saylor

2007-11-29T06:47:00.000-08:00

Saylor turned 2 on Thanksgiving day. I wanted to make sure that it was a special day for her--that it didn't get overlooked in favor of the big, busy holiday. Saylor loves butterflies so I made that our theme. I got butterfly plates, napkins and table clothes. I obtained a pair of wings for her to wear for the occasion. I made her a (hideous and nasty tasting) butterfly cake. And, in my best Martha Stewart imitation, I cut out a gazillion butterflies and glued them to her presents in the place of bows. We decided to celebrate the night before with my family so we could stay the night there and enjoy Thanksgiving with them too. It was a very long and stressful day for us. Between finishing up that loathsome cake, to wrapping up the B-day details, to packing for a weekend away, and getting stuck in traffic for 2 hours in transit to my parent's house--none of us were in a very festive mood by the time we arrived.

We let Saylor go play while we waited for pizza to come, but once she was down in her grandparent's play room, there was no getting her back. She threw a giant tantrum when we tried to get her to open presents.

She refused to have any cake and ice cream but did at least blow out the candle after some coaxing.

She did, however, like her new toys--In fact, she wanted each of them out of the package to play with right then.

I'm not going to lie, by the end of the night I was feeling frustrated. I had stressed myself out over this bash and the guest of honor was not duly impressed. Then I remembered, she was turning 2, not 22. The next morning she woke up at 5:30 so excited to play with her new toys--apparently she felt that the big event was a success. Mental notes: 1. two-year-olds don't care about coordinated party themes. 2. Leave the cake making to the experts. 3. Don't take ill-tempered toddlers personally.

Doggie Days

2007-11-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

Snow: I thought kids only did that if they felt insecure--if their environment was chaotic.

Summer: No, I think it is normal for kids to have a favorite blanket to carry around, Saylor just chose something different.

Meet the object of this conversation, and the new bane of my existence:

Sure, he looks innocent enough in this picture, but he has a hold over our daughter that we never dreamed of. She refuses to go anywhere or do anything without him. She wakes up with him and carries him around wherever we go for the day. No matter what other toys she is playing with, you can be sure that doggie is in hand. She won't let me take him away when she eats, and goes into hysterics when I tried to pry him away afterwards to wash him off. It is almost impossible to change her clothes because, like a raccoon holding something shiny, she will not let go. I actually thought it was endearing until a couple of nights ago. She woke up 5 times screaming "Doggie, doggie, help! Doggie!" because he had fallen out between the slats of her crib. In my half asleep state it was quite the ordeal to find him. Let me tell you, I was none too pleased to see him in the morning! Oh well, like so many other funny stages, I am sure it will be fleeting, and I will probably even miss it!

Who needs pesticide?

2007-11-17T16:40:00.000-08:00

Today Saylor and I were enjoying what could be the end of our nice weather in the backyard. She found a group of ants that she kept taking a look at. We would play ball; she would look at the ants. We would gather leaves; she would look at the ants. We would spin in circles; she would look at the ants. Finally, it was time to go inside. She walked over to the ants and said "goodbye 'lil ants...see you in minute." I thought to myself--she is so cute. The next thing I know she is stomping all over them. I guess she didn't want to "see them in a minute" after all.

Top 5 Ways to Tell Your Kid Watches Too Much Dora

2007-11-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

I was never going to be one of those moms that let the TV babysit their child. I try to set reasonable limits, but most of the time it is the only way I can get a shower or cook dinner. Saylor is obsessed with Dora The Explorer. I am beginning to think she is watching too much...What do your think?

5. She names each character as they come on the screen. From anywhere in the house I hear the joyful Cry: "It's Tico, It's Issa, It's Boots, It's Swiper, It's Benny."

4. She occasionally tells me to Vamonos.

3. She does the "we did it" dance complete with swivel hips and bobbing head.

2. Whenever we drive by a particular mountain she points at it and says "Highest Hill!!"

1. She tells her toys to "Stand up please."

Fun in the Fall

2007-11-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed our first Utah fall in 4 years and it was wonderful! Saylor will be two on Thanksgiving so she was at an age to appreciate all of the Harvest fun. Some of our favorite outings were: visiting the witches at Gardiner Village, going to a pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, haunted houses, and of course trick-or-treating. I wanted to share some photos of our good times.

Saylor loved playing in the leaves. She never saw anything but cactus needles in Tucson so this was a treat. She loved having Snow pour them on top of her chanting, "gin, gin" ("again" for those of you who don't speak Saylorese). She even enjoyed helping us bag up the leaves we had raked.

I took Saylor, with a group of moms to a pumpkin patch that was really fun. They had slides, a train, a kiddie corn maze, jumping castle, and of course the pumpkin patch itself, but her favorite thing was a sandbox filled with corn. Lets just say I found stray kernels in some pretty interesting places!

We had a lot of fun carving our pumpkin. Saylor had to be in the middle of it all, of course! She thought the pumpkin guts were super disgusting. Her favorite part was putting the "lid" on and then taking it off again. We even went so far as to roast the pumpkin seeds for munching (thanks for the idea Kelly). By the way, we aren't sure when her sweet little smile turned into a big fake cheeser, but that is pretty much all we get unless we take a sneaky candid.

Saylor was a butterfly for Halloween. My mom was strolling her around the mall one day and Saylor saw iteh costume in a store and fell in love. She carried it around the house for a week and I finally had to hide it in the top of her closet so it would survive until October 31. Sadly, Saylor had a yucky cold on Halloween. She was not excited to put on her costume, and even less excited to pose for a photo shoot. We were lucky enough to have Snow home with us to go trick-or-treating, and once Saylor realized that people were giving out candy, she made an amazing recovery. She obligingly said "trick-or-treat", "thank-you", and "happy Halloween", and she was not shy to double fist the candy bowls. It was a fun night!

Why the Silly Name?

2007-11-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

So I have finally decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. As I perused the blogs of my friends, I decided that a catchy title was mandatory. I spent the better part of a day thinking about it--embarrassing I know--when it finally came to me: Slushy Stories. Many of you know that Snow and I met as EFY Counselors. One week at BYU, (before we had gone on any dates, or really knew each other at all) our groups of kids noticed our names and thought they would play a little joke. We arrived at a banquet and the kids were carrying around signs that said "Snow +Summer =Slush". Yes, we both had exceptionally witty youth that week! And, more that 7 years later, we still get comments when we introduce ourselves..."Are those your real names?"..."Are you going to names your kids Rain and Spring?" Anyway, with a little alliteration, I came up with Slushy Stories. Most of you are probably thinking that I really wasted a day, but I am happy that I am lauding our beginning.