robot nursery

dino museum

2012-02-08T21:11:00.002-07:00

We are lucky to live so close to the dino museum!

We always see fieldtrips there and people visiting when they come into town, like it's a big deal.

We love that we live just down the road and have a pass.

Not quite the same as all those school children I've seen in Europe ignoring the Mona Lisa as they check their cell phones or parade begrudgingly past Michaelangelo's David, (lucky ducks!) but you get the idea.
The boys love it, I like that they love it, and we all learn something new every time we go.

T-rex!!

mini paleontologists

Linc's brush collection that he didn't want any of the other kids to touch... yeah- he's that kid.

Trying to be like his big brother- he seriously thinks he's five.

Ask him and he'll tell you.
But Linc- you're only two!
"No! I FIVE!"

sisters and hats

2012-02-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sini, Linds, Mom, Lisa & Fisher

My sister, Lisa made her annual Utah visit to snowboard.

We were in Vegas for part of her stay, so we only got to hang out on her last night here.

So fun to see her little big boy Fisher, who just turned one!

Troy showing Brian and Adam his old college ball movies.

Lisa broke out my mom's fuzzy Finnish hat, so we all took turns trying it on.

And it has been confirmed that I have a HUGE noggin!

I could barely get it on!

And Addie is wearing the hat I wore when I was little- isn't it the cutest thing ever?!

My little brother wore it after me.

This ugster was Lindsey's, but I'm pretty sure I wore it after her.

People must have been so confused here in Utah... haha!

Will

Ollie

My mom

Linds

Ollie

Ben

Cute Lisa and Troy

potato stamping

2012-02-07T14:28:00.001-07:00

I thought we should do a Valentine picture, so we used potatoes!

I haven't done this since I was in preschool I think.

It was really easy to carve shapes into the potatoes.

Then you just carve around it for a homemade stamp.

I can't wait to do this for other holidays and seasons- so fun!

Of course I had to get in on the fun...

shark reef

2012-02-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

After we said goodbye to Ames and the kids, we made our way to Mandalay Bay where Adam was going to a flooring convention.

How nice is it that the Shark Reef was in Mandalay Bay too?

The boys and I went there while Adam went to talk with his sales reps.

golden alligator

Smiling Komodo Dragon- he's huge!

Apparently he has at least 50 different kinds of bacteria in his mouth- seven of which are poisonous!

green tree monitors

The best part was walking through these tunnels with fish and sharks swimming around and above us!

We sat on the ledge for a while and just watched.

me and my boysies

And I always love watching jellyfish- they look so calming and interesting.

There were divers swimming with the sharks too- they were really cool to watch.
Almost as cool as the fish and sharks!

They even waved at the boys a few times.
Afterwards we got to feel a sample of their metal mesh suits to protect them from shark bites.

Making the water sign wiggle.

I took the boys to lunch and tried to share food, but ended up spending $12 on just the boys' drinks! GULP.

Good thing I had water.

We finally found Adam and drove- you guessed it- to a record store.

After a looooong stop at a record store- we started the 6 hour drive home.

It's a beautiful drive so I was glad to do it in the light this time.

And I finally broke out the sunglasses for the drive home.

They weren't needed the whole weekend in Vegas!

Sleepy guys.

farewell cousins

2012-02-04T14:18:00.002-07:00

We had so much fun visiting- Ames and I talking until super late, looking at Pinterest on our ipads right next to each other and showing cool things, making homemade chocolate ice cream sandwiches, watching the animated Napolean Dynamite and one last bananagram game every night before Cody had to ditch out to bed... And the kids playing all day, everyday with their cousins.

It was so fun to have such good, quality time with them!

Collin's chocolate goatee.

Cute, happy Baby Will army crawling everywhere.

Collin and his baby blues.

And Linc found his way into our little bed every night-

always sure to bring his tiny pillow and blanket along.

We all slept in the same room with the boys sleeping on puffy blankets on the floor.

Watching a movie in the playroom/ office.

Thanks for having us guys! We loved seeing you!

las vegas- the strip

2012-02-04T14:17:00.002-07:00

A slow rainy Monday on the Las Vegas strip.

We walked from the Bellagio to the M&M store with all the kids.

They had fun walking on the bridges and looking at the crazy buildings.

It was nice that it wasn't crowded!

Oliver, Elliott, Kenzie & Collin

Lincoln Bear

Remember Zoltar from the movie BIG? Funny.

We watched the free 3-D movie (the sound was a little off, but otherwise

the kids loved it) at the store and then picked out our favorite M&Ms.

Of course we realized after we fill the bags that they are something like $14 per pound!!

GEES! Adam got a great mix for us though- mint! coconut! pretzel (too dry and I wouldn't get them next time), peanut! peanut butter! and almond! They were a great snack for the way home and for the rest of the week until I threw them out.

We hopped next-door to the Coke store to visit this bear.

His eyes (and the rest of him) looked so real.

And the kids all came out with mini coke bottle salt shakers.

I scored some coke flavored lip gloss because if I can't (shouldn't) have the real thing...

rest stop

We decided to visit the new city center on the strip which was pretty cool.

You walk back into these buildings and feel like you are in Tokyo or something.

At least not on the Las Vegas strip.

We walked around some of the buildings and stumbled upon a few cool spots:

Like this whirlpool forest!

The boys are OBSESSED with whirlpools so they were excited to see them.
I think this is at the Aria Hotel.

Collin and Linc climbed up and down these stairs for a while--- right next to the whirlpools.

And Lincoln tried to climb the Prada building.

We found this store that decorated with hundreds of antique sewing machines too.

I loved seeing this. They must have a majority of the machines that are left.

Bellagio gardens

2012-02-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

We always love visiting the Bellagio gardens!

They are always changing it for the seasons and since it was the Chinese New Year on the day we were there- it was all decked out in dragons and paper lanterns. So much fun!

Giant people with flower outfits!

I can't imagine the work that must go into the prep and maintaining of these gardens!

chocolate fountain

2012-02-02T23:47:00.000-07:00

Mostly we just hung out with Amy and her family, but we did venture out to the strip on Monday.

Kenzie happened to be out of school that day, so we visited the Bellagio and the M&M store.

Amy had heard of this chocolate fountain inside the Bellagio- it was just around the corner from the gardens and we had never seen it before!

awesome light!

They had white, medium and dark chocolate fountains running.

It was pretty cool!

I'm sure the boys are dreaming of dipping things in the chocolate.

They have dipped fruit before at Grandma's house...

I always love the glass flower ceiling in the lobby.

We looked like quite the site in Las Vegas with six kids between us.

The streets were pretty empty though, which was nice!

We had to wait until later to watch the fountains since they don't start until three on weekdays.

They didn't disappoint! (I could watch them all day.)

las vegas- springs preserve

2012-02-02T23:09:00.001-07:00

We went to the Springs Preserve while we were in Las Vegas.

The history of this place is pretty cool-

A spring in the middle of the desert.

Back in the old days, travelers passing through would stop for a break and drink.

Now it teaches all about the desert landscape and animals.

We had fun- even though it was SUPER windy and chilly outside.

That's okay- we mostly stayed inside this time.

Cute little fox!

Baby Will, Collin, Oliver, Kenzie, Elliott & Lincoln

This was the flash flood room- totally dry and then in an instant the

riverbed and waterfall is full or rushing water. We did this a few times.

Kenzie holding her baby brother- Will.

We got to oogle a GIANT black widow... YIKES!

And who doesn't love a bird show?

The guy outside the theater told us to sit right in the middle because the birds would fly right by us... so we did and it was great! They're wings were flipping our hair up and making Linc laugh so hard!

cool owl- fuzzy pic

Kenzie got to go down and help...

And then Elliott got to hand the bird a dollar and he put it in the box.

Afterwards the kids colored wooden snakes.

Collin ended up throwing his up on a tall rock later on and looking back, we should have just gotten another one because the kids played with them all. weekend. long.

Linc and Collin

desert plants

We finished the night at Rosati's with some Chicago style pizza... it was filling and great!

Is there anything better than pizza?!

It was a great day!

We had so much fun with Amy and co.

So great to see the kids all together.

buddies

2012-02-01T10:45:00.001-07:00

Collin & Lincoln are funny little cousins.

Collin is three months older and a lot taller.

But basically they are on the same page so they play great together!

Grammy got them the same shirt a while back, so they wore them together.

Lincoln was very excited to visit Collin in Las Vegas last week.

window markers

All was great until Linc started coloring in Collin's hair...s

Sharing snacks while visiting the Bellagio.

Multi-taskers- playing cars while eating dinner.

I hope they are always little friends and help each other stay on the right path even when they're big.

b-ball

2012-01-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

Elliott is well into his 2nd season of basketball.

He LOVES having his buddy Noah on his team this year.

Each game he lets loose a little more- I just want him to have fun!
But for now it's mostly a chore...
Until after the practice or game- then he loves it.

power saturday

2012-01-19T13:41:00.001-07:00

Things are back to BUSY around here.

It's good though.

I can always tell how busy I am by how many blog posts I do in a week.

Usually if I have a second, I'll put something up- I love it that much.

----> Notice no posts this week.

The other day our power went out because someone crashed their car into a power line nearby.

It started to get cold.

And it was weird not relying on the t.v. and computer for entertainment on a Saturday.

The boys started rolling up in blankets and bouncing into each other while I read a book.

I had to wear my coat, boots and a blanket to stay warm.

Adam worked on his guitars.

(This pic is actually from another day, but he does this a lot!)

The power came back on around 4:00 PM instead of the expected 9:00, so we were fine.

A fun little adventure.

And I'm loving all the big sleeping trees right now.

They would look so pretty in the snow, but I love them without too.

This is the most mild winter I ever remember in Utah and I'm loving it!

snowboarding

2012-01-13T12:18:00.003-07:00

See more photos from our gorgeous day of snowboarding on SPOL.

december iphone

2012-01-10T22:43:00.004-07:00

Vintage sled display at Pirate O's- where I can buy Finnish candy!

I'm almost caught up documenting our busy December.

How could I forget my friend the iphone and her glorious photos?

My mom sent me this pic (from a few months ago) from her phone!!

Woa- this is big news!!

Madison, Elliott, Ollie, Dawson, Brayden, Linc

Carpool- and we were even short one this day.

It's so funny looking back there at all those cute faces!

The chaos that is our bathroom... yes- the cat is in the sink.

Raising cinnamon rolls at 6 AM for a party at 10.

find the cat

This is how Linc finds his shirts- throws everything out of his drawers.

At least Suki takes advantage and makes a nest out of it.

Linc and his favorite kitty cat.

Blue skies after a week of gray inversion- a breath of fresh air!

The kids playing Just Dance II on the Wii.

It keeps them busy for hours!

gingerbread houses at Grammy's

The boys talked me into lunch at Burger King since I usually make them go to my places (Kneaders.)

I had the first whopper I ever remember having (since I was a kid) and it actually wasn't bad.

snowflake shadows

vintage silver

the boys "washing" their new Build-a-Bears

Nephew Will

Fish sandwich from Red Robin- my fave!

My wall of cards. I love seeing pictures of those I love!

The present I gave myself- it was only $7.50 total...

I think while everyone else was into Grease, my sister and I

recorded Grease 2 from tv onto a VHS tape and watched it over and over.

I still know all the songs.

Linc's rosy cheeks at the dino museum

naptime with ben 10 guys

Misters Oliver & Dawson

Loving the box of GIANT oranges my mom gave us.

fun kitchen towels from Target

Kennecot

sunset from my front porch

school vacation

2012-01-08T23:45:00.000-07:00

These pictures are all from the week after Christmas when the boys were in Lego/cousin heaven.

We all loved sleeping in every day until 8:30+!

And hanging out in our pajamas til noon.

Our vacation bliss included playing with toys,

eating treats (I ate way too many treats!) and hanging out with our family.

It was so nice to not have a schedule and obligations.

Makes me excited for summer...

Legos for breakfast.

Lots of late nights...

My nephew Will and his cute stripey pants.

Addie and Linc had some play dates.

Ollie hugging our tree before we had to take it down... so sad!

I always hate saying goodbye to our trees.

Wild, happy boys. We had a great couple of weeks!

And I just had to throw this one in... Linc keeping busy
on the ipad while his diaper is conveniently changed for him...

ice skating

2012-01-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

I took the boys ice skating at our favorite little rink in South Jordan.

It only costs $1 to rent the skates and going on the ice is free!
For times and other info visit SPOL.

Helping Ollie was sort of like trying to put clothes on a cat... hehe.

But I'm glad he tried this time! I wish Adam could have helped him on one side.

My sil, Ames was up from Las Vegas with her family, so they and my sil Christie came too.

Ollie and cousin Gabby

Good thing we brought the sled for the little ones.

Linc was happy to walk all over the ice in his shoes.

We actually got Cody out on the ice too... nice scarf Codes!

Cousins Kenzie and Elliott

Amy, Collin, Christie and Gabby

Christie and Gabby

Lincoln Bear

Elliott was pretty good and loved it.

Cousins- Collin and Linc on the sleds

I just love how they are having a little toddler conversation while being pulled... so funny.

Cody and Kenz

These guys were the last ones off the ice.

And Ollie did some of this...

...and this...

... a little of this...

...and a whole lotta this. He wouldn't let me take his skates off though. Funny little guy.

I even got to go around a few times- it makes me feel like a kid again!

growing marbles

2012-01-05T15:31:00.003-07:00

We had so much fun growing our own marbles with Ollie's Christmas presents.

Isn't it funny how the cheapest thing sometimes turns out to be the favorite?

We had fun squishing them and pouring them into and out of cups.

And now we all want to fill a swimming pool with them and jump in! :)

They started out as teeny tiny balls like this, and grew bigger by adding more water.

Linc got some trees, stars and ice cubes that he promptly destroyed.

We definitely liked the marbles better and still have them.

The only downside was when we spilled them all over the floor- they were everywhere....

And I think I've seen these sold at Home Depot or something- I've heard of making your own neck cooling packs out of them... so we might be doing some again soon. So fun!

white elephants

2012-01-04T16:49:00.002-07:00

Abby found these cute cups at the dollar store.

We were trying to get together with these guys during the holidays, but the only time everyone could meet was the week after Christmas. Isn't it funny how everyday is packed up until Christmas and then nothing. It's so nice. The boys were confused though... "Why are we taking presents after Christmas?" they asked. But they had fun. We all did. So fun to see everyone.

Collin, Ben and 80 kids.

Collin and Lucas on the right.

Abby and Keri- I love this picture!

Rich, Adam & Luke

Rich and Abby had a penny auction for the kids.

We all brought a couple small kid presents and wrapped them.

Then each kid got ten pennies to bid on things with.

After they could open them and trade if they wanted.

It was a hit!

We will for sure use this option in the future!

Brooke, Presli and Luke- Lincoln loved these guys!

Ben, Val and their three gorgeous girls- Avery, Holland and Scarlett.

They have another girl on the way!

Ben's white elephant contribution- drawings of the guys and a signed photo of himself...

Rich's contribution...

My favorite is #3... hehe.

Two layers of bitten chocolates!

Adam's contribution- a karate medal shadow box.

Collin's gift- a paper guitar and stuff.

Adam even made a certificate to make it official.

Two little friends.

"Where's Lincoln? Come on Lincoln- over here!"

We had lots of fun and can't wait until next year's party.

christmas day

2012-01-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

We were lucky to have church at 1:00.

We had enough time to open and play with presents and eat breakfast.

It was so sunny and nice outside!

*Rethinking the turquoise tights after a guy at church brought up the Swedish flag... haha.

The boys' yearly picture with Dasher...

Our house really did turn into LegoLand over night.

The boys were in complete heaven.

Elliott can put his together by himself now.

Ollie can do his, but sometimes needs a little help.

The beautiful Christmas day weather.

Notice no snow on the mountains, which was kind of weird.

But it was nice not having to worry about traveling in crazy weather.

We went to Grammy and Grandpa's for Christmas dinner.

Linc added another Brobee to his collection!

Cousin Gabby and her panda pillow pet.

Grammy and Ollie

Adam got his favorite gift of all- ebay bucks to spend however he wants.

Karen and Steve spoiled us rotten- they gave me a new iphone! Yay!

christmas morning

2012-01-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ollie and Elliott's stockings

Linc used my stocking since his is still being fixed.

Ollie woke up first at 8:15-ish. Next was Linc and then Elliott.

This is sleeping in for us any day- let alone Christmas!

Legos!

Ben 10 alien!

Optimus Prime- bigger than he is!

Yo Gabba Gabba boom box!

Legos!

Oatmeal groats... haha!

Linc opening Elliott's present... he just grabbed whatever he could find and started opening.

Oliver- pirate treasure box, Elliott- Hex Bug Hive

Linc- dog guitar and play kitchen

I got the boys (including Adam) snowshoes!

Now if it would just snow...

Adam got the boys He-Man castles and guys just like he had when he was little.

Thank goodness for Ebay... and the boys love them!

Giant box of Legos from ebay.

It took Adam hours and hours to go through them to get rid of all the extra toy pieces that came with it.

freshly squeezed orange juice

And our favorite hootenannies!

Our traditional Christmas breakfast.

Linc had chocolate reindeer with his...

the aftermath

What a great morning!

The boys made this day so special.

They had been counting down for so long.
Merry Christmas!

christmas eve

2012-01-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve was so relaxed at our house.

We realized we didn't have any plans, so Linds and I decided to take our families to The Adventures of TinTin in IMAX 3D. It was awesome!
Afterward we went to lunch and then picked up some last minute things at Target.

Our kids always love dancing to the music after the movie... right down by the screen.

The rest of the day we spent relaxing at home.

We had Steve's lasagna for dinner again- better the 2nd night! :)

Adam's 1950's silver tree.

Our outside lights.

Little Cornelius- our elf flew back home with Santa on Christmas Eve too.
He said goodbye to the boys while they were sleeping and left these pictures for them in the morning.

Elliott wanted to go to bed at 7:00, but it was closer to 9:00.

Linc took forever to fall asleep though- he was up until

about 10:30- rolling around in his crib for over an hour.

Visions of sugar plums :)

new year's eve

2012-01-01T16:11:00.001-07:00

We had a fun New Year's Eve...

We cleaned up Christmas inside and out.

The weather was so nice we even took the lights down from the house and trees outside.

We went to a movie with Megs and Tanner and Grammy and Grandpa- We Bought a Zoo.

It wasn't really a kid's movie, but I loved it.

And Linc was so tired from all the late nights that he fell asleep in the first five minutes and slept in my arms the whole time- HEAVEN. He never does that and it was so sweet holding him.

We stopped on our way home to get some treats and then did sparklers and party poppers.

We were trying to finish reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) so everyone got in bed and I read until midnight.

Someone was doing HUGE fireworks outside so we watched from the window and went to bed.

Can you see Ollie's confetti flying from his popper? Pretty cool.

Happy New Year!

P.S. I've still got Christmas to post! That will be coming soon.

finnish dinner at grandma's

2011-12-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Two days before Christmas we got to go to my mom's house and have a Finnish feast!

She made my favorite Finnish potato bread (top) and rice bread (bottom)...

This is the kind we ate almost everyday while in Finland and I even brought some home!

Next step is to learn how to make it.

bread toppings

My mom is always sure to get fresh fruits and veggies in.... the smoothies were a hit!

Cousins- Addie, Elli, Ryder, Elliott, Benny & Lincoln

Next, we acted out the nativity.

The boys looked soooo funny and cute in their wisemen/ innkeeper outfits.

Will the Shepard

Elli was Mary and Bailey was the angel.

It was cute to hear all the kids reading their parts so well.

Adam and Brian narrated.

Mary and Joseph (Benny) at the Inn.

Cousins- Trevan, Ryder, Bailey, Elli, Benny, Linc, Elliott, Oliver & Will

making tissue paper snowflakes

Present time!

Lego watches! Cool.

Linc and Grandma and his new Lego truck.

Elliott & Grandma

Oliver & Grandma

My favorite present! :)

Linds, Eric, Tagen & Brian

Elli and Grandma

Trying to scare people from the closet. Funny boys.

I remember hiding in there when I was little too.

Look at all the red! (I didn't even help the boys get their clothes that day.)

Merry Christmas! Hyvää joulua!

santa at grammy's

2011-12-27T15:33:00.001-07:00

Lincoln telling Santa what he wants for Christmas.

Santa visits the boys every year at Grammy's house, just like when Adam was growing up.

Lucky ducks.

We sang some songs and Santa even had presents in his bag.

Elliott, Lincoln, Gabby and Ollie

Lincoln asked for Yo Gabba Gabba toys and a play kitchen.

Ollie asked for a wallet and Hot Wheels cars.

Elliott asked for a Hex Bug set.

I think Gabby asked to be taken off Santa's lap...

I just loved Lincoln's face in these pics...

Christie, Scott and Gabby

Grammy & Grandpa

I've never seen the boys so excited about pajamas...

Throwing them in glee...

Trying them on statue-like...

And dancing with them. Thanks Santa!

(With a little help from Grammy- she always finds the cute ones.)

Afterward we had Steve's lasagna... which we ate again on

Christmas Eve at our house and it was even better as left-overs...

And decorated gingerbread houses.

Such a fun night! We look forward to this every year.

Although we were sad the rest of the family couldn't be there this year.

merry christmas!

2011-12-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

I hope your day is fabulous and magical!

P.S. This is before I changed my hair color and the best pic we could

get of everyone... at least it's a true representation of mister Linc?

homemade

2011-12-24T17:38:00.003-07:00

I made some little cheapie ornaments for my primary class last week and had them decorate them.

Usually the boys come home with one from one of their classes-- church or school-- but not this year.

So we made some more!

My nieces and nephews and Ollie's bestie Dawson were over, so I snapped pics of everyone and printed them out so they could make some too.

I love having little faces from years past hanging on the tree :)

And these were the gifts the boys gave their teachers.

Elliott's class had a few moms donate too, so we got her a Zupas giftcard.

I think they turned out pretty cute.

christmas program

2011-12-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

The boys had a Christmas sing-in just before Christmas break.

Each grade sang two songs just before the class parties started.

They were so cute!

Ollie sang me his song for weeks beforehand with the actions,

but wouldn't do the actions once he was on the stage.

There are only two afternoon kindergarten classes so we could see him perfectly!

His whole class is on the front row.

Here are some videos- mostly for family and grandmas because I didn't think to invite them...

Excuse the shakiness of the camera- I was sitting on the floor go get closer with Linc on my lap.

Elliott kept talking about the songs, but would never sing them for me,

or even tell me what they were beforehand.

I secretly want him to marry little Pyper to the left of him- such a cutie from a cute family!

There are two 2nd grade classes and a 1st/ 2nd split, so that's why there are littler kids on the front row.

Elliott's class is the whole back row.
I got teary during the Polar Express song... really.
And I think it's cute that Elliott had some yawning going on.
I told him it's okay- singing gives me a case of the yawns sometimes too.
(Especially at church.)

And- we're lucky that we have cousins in the same school!

Benny- 3rd grade.

And Elli- 5th grade.

neighbor gifts

2011-12-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

The mint meltaways made a comeback this year.

I forgot how much I loved making (and eating!) them.

baby shower

2011-12-20T16:07:00.002-07:00

You know you're old when your young women (girls I taught in church) start getting married and having babies!

My friend Rachael is due in January so a shower was in order to honor her and baby boy Creighton.

Congrats!

Rachael, her sis Abby and her Grandma Sue.

Some of the first party goers.

Rachael with her cute baby bump and her little sisters.

marshmallow snowmen

2011-12-16T10:42:00.002-07:00

I had the boys test out the treat for Ollie's kindergarten Christmas party last night.

We used toothpicks to keep the marshmallows together.

I think they were a tasty success!

Linc thought of adding legs himself :)

december

2011-12-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Fuzzy earmuffs at Gap... I think I want to go back and get some!

December through my iphone pics...

At Discovery Gateway for E's fieldtrip

This boy is full of ideas!

My niece Gabby found our movie popcorn... we always get a free refill and bring it home for the boys.

My little helpers. They come with me on my errands and are usually great!

snow

At the ward Christmas party.

Suki helping me with laundry.

Gabby sitting in the big booster eating lunch! She's getting too big!

Reading stories with two babies on my lap.

The present wrapping has begun.

Our elf Cornelius... Ollie said he's trying to ride a horse on our Christmas tree. :)

chocolate treats!!

Ollie likes to operate the microwave and always requests chips with melted cheese and salsa after church.

How Lincoln finds his socks... and shirts. :(

temple square

the sun after carpool!!

tissue paper snowflakes

2011-12-13T16:51:00.002-07:00

I really should do more crafts with the boys... they eat them up!

smores... indoors

2011-12-11T23:03:00.001-07:00

I was having a bit of a sweet tooth and realized we had all the fixin's for smores!

But no fire.

So we tried it in the oven.

Guess what- no smoke. No flaming mallows.

Just melty, chocolatey, marshmallowy goodness.

Turn your oven on broil.

Melt the chocolate on the graham crackers first.

Then squish the mallows into the melted chocolate.

We tried peppermint mallows...

Oh man- have you tried these? Delicious.

Mint chocolate mallows...

...and plain ol' white mallows.

The peppermint was all of our favorite.

Maybe this will hold me over until the neighbor gifts start coming in...

Hope your days are happy and stress-free!

(I'm feeling a little rushed and anxious... I just need to relax.)

the real santa

2011-12-11T17:44:00.001-07:00

The boys are convinced they met the real Santa on Friday night at a family Christmas party.

Because, "His beard was real and he gave us a dollar and he was in a hurry!"

Lincoln walked right up to him and jumped on his lap and talked to him.

He is just all-business I guess... no smiles allowed.

Elliott is starting to question things this year...

He is looking so tall sitting with Santa.

Mr. Oliver told Santa he wanted a wallet.

Hmmm... that's the first I've heard of that one.

Santa's cute gift bag that I think maybe my cousin Heather helped him out with...

The boys LOVED the dollar!!

Trevan, Linc, Madison, Addie

Gift exchange with the cousins and second cousins.

Ollie, Ben, Elliott

My little bro Mikey and his 4-week-old baby Jordan... I finally got to meet her!

Sini, Mikey, Baby Jordan, Linds, Elli, Leena (my Mom)

The boys found the heat vent again when we got home.

It reminds me of my friend Ange from growing up.

She was always doing this! Maybe she taught me?

reindeer

2011-12-10T16:05:00.001-07:00

We visited Santa's reindeer the other night (more on SPOL) and froze our buns off!

The temperatures are dipping so low here, but no major snow yet.

The boys even got to tell Santa their wish lists.

When we came home Linc was sitting by the heater soaking up the warmth.

I showed him the blanket trick and he loved it!

Linc the sphinx.

I promise I wash his face fifty times a day...

best buds

2011-12-09T00:35:00.001-07:00

Oliver is so happy that his buddy Dawson gets to come over everyday before school.

He begs for him to come over the second he wakes up

and then as soon as he gets home from school too.

It's funny that they ALWAYS want to play.

Oliver making "millions of worms" and Dawson "cutting bacon."

And one happy little Linc who just likes to smoosh all the colors together.

crunchy carmel corn

2011-12-06T16:09:00.001-07:00

My friend, Rachel once brought this to a yw party and I could not believe that 1. it was homemade and 2. it was sooo delicious! She gave me the recipe and now every time I make it, I think of her. Even if she does live clear across the country. People love this wherever I go! Thanks Rach!

Crunchy Carmel Corn

20 cups popcorn

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup karo syrup

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. vanilla

Place popped corn in brown paper sack, top cut off to fit in microwave. In sauce pan put all ingredients but soda and vanilla, bring to boil. Boil for 4 minutes stirring constantly. Remove. Stir in soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn and stir. Microwave on high 3 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds. Spread on wax paper to cool. Once cooled breakup popcorn and serve.

I've saved this in the neighborhood recipe blog too.

baby babble

2011-12-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Lincmeister watching his favorite show- Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Little Lincoln has been BUSY!

And at two-and-a-half, I realize he isn't a baby anymore, but he's our baby still.

I'm just trying to remember all the fun stuff we've dealt with the last couple of days...

While I was paying at a restaurant he disappeared and emptied the pepper shaker out on the floor.

The entire bottle.

I asked if they had a broom and they said don't worry about it.

We go there a lot and they recognize us, so kind of embarrassing.

He will NOT use his baby blanket anymore because it has a tiny hole.

"It's broken. I don't want it."

Well- that wouldn't be a problem except he doesn't want ANY blanket now.

And the other night he informed me, "I don't want pajamas, I take off."

He was in his crib for the night and his pajamas were on the floor.

No blankets and no pj's in the winter breaks my heart.

I made him put his jammies back on, and then I always sneak a few blankets on him the second he falls asleep.

He shoved a play key in the cd player of my car.

Adam had to do surgery to get it out.

The other day I was in my kitchen having a meeting for YW and Linc was napping on my bed.

I heard the loudest CRASH... thinking he had fallen off.

I ran up and our big tall dresser was on top of my little Lincoln, from his chest down!

I picked that thing up so fast and Linc was crying for gum... and still had to grab it.

He saw some gum on the dresser and decided to climb for it.

It was SCARY!

I kept asking if his arms or legs hurt or belly.

I've been checking for bruises... that thing was heavy!

I'm so glad that he seems to be just fine,

and we have bolted our dresser so it won't happen again.

He climbs EVERYTHING.

He can get on a counter (any counter) in 2.5 seconds.

He has been seen with the scissors cutting a few needles from our Christmas tree.

Dang my scissor obsession and having them readily available in every drawer!

This morning Adam and I were still in bed and Linc was jabbering telling me he cut his pants with the scissors. I opened my eyes to see he has a big pair of scissors and his pants in the other hand and is holding a little string he cut off that was bothering him! We were lucky it was just the string.

And he loves taking the ornaments off the tree and drop them on the floor.

He just plucks them, one by one.

He didn't seem to bother them last year as an 18 month old?

Elliott took a brand new roll of wrapping paper in an upstairs room to wrap his secret santa gifts...

and Linc later found it and unrolled the entire roll!

(I secretly wish I could have seen the thrill on his face while he was doing this,

sounds like an awesome time.)

It feels like we just roll with the punches and he's actually a sweet boy.

He just thinks he's bigger than he is.

He loves to pick out his clothes and brings them to me every morning, including diaper and socks.

And usually he's already taken off his jammies and diaper.

He frequently empties his whole shirt drawer if he can't find what he needs.

And his whole sock bin.

He will only wear his orange shirt to church.

Pretty sure I bought it at DI for one of the other boys years ago.

He won't wear his cute new one from JCrew kids... of course.

The other day he brought me his poopy diaper that was soaking wet on the outside as he was telling me he couldn't clean the poop out... he had been swishing it in the toilet! (Gross! TMI?)

(I guess he's seen me do that a couple times with the big boys... shudder.)

I've always joked that he will potty train himself when he is good and ready,

since we've had a fiasco with other children before him, (another post, another time.)

Maybe he will?

He can always be seen carrying a tower of Legos in his hand that he built himself.

Or a little city built on a flat Lego piece.

I love that he does this already!

My big boys have just recently started playing Legos on their own and building their own things.

But he just follows their lead.

He says the cutest, funniest things like...

I LOVE it Mommy!

That show was AWESOME!

He calls our cat "Black Suki"

"Where are you Black Suki?"

"Black Suki, come here!"

He loves to name all of Linds' family.

And recently likes to name "Unca Cody and An Amy" and their family.

He calls cousin Addie his best friend.

And then he'll call whoever is playing with him his best friend... even me.

I love it!

He loves to show you things and always says, "TA DAAA!"

And when he thinks something is cool or pretty he'll say, "Oooo La La La!"

He has to have me put him to bed every night- "Not Dada... I want Momma."

He tries to get rice or hotdogs or popsicles for breakfast and cereal for lunch.

He asks if we can make cookies all the time.

One time after his nap he came into the kitchen checking the counter for cookies and was sorely disappointed there weren't any.

He loves to snuggle between Adam and I every morning.

Usually around 6:00 AM, but he goes right back to sleep.

On a rare morning he slept in and came into my room and the bed was already made and he was so mad! "I wanted to lay in Momma's bed!!"

I told him he still could and helped him get settled.

He was happy, but only stayed for like 5 seconds.

He is starting to say his "L's" really well-

I'm thinking since we have so many "L" names- Lincoln, oLiver, eLLiott

But the way he says them he sticks his tongue out and twists it-

so Blue equals Ba LllL ue.

It's the cutest thing ever and I need to get it on video.

There is so much more about this boy.

He gets fifty thousand kisses a day.

He only snuggles for rare moments... right when he wakes from a nap is one of them.

Sometimes when we watch a movie.

I didn't want this post to sound like a complaint post, because I know he'll mellow out sometime.

I have total confidence in that.

I just thought he would laugh someday when he's older knowing he did these funny things.

And maybe it can help him if he has a busy body child of his own someday?

We love you mister Linc.

oh christmas tree

2011-11-29T23:25:00.001-07:00

Right before Thanksgiving I drove by our favorite Christmas tree lot.

There were trucks and trailers loaded with trees- our favorite trees!

I was so excited that I sent a picture to Adam.

The owner of the lot is getting older and his kids are actually running the thing.

Every year we think they'll be done.

We don't know what we'll do when that happens because we love their trees so much and haven't seen any others like them.

But the important thing was they were back this year.

We sort of bundled up... Linc wouldn't put his big coat on top of his little one

and

Ollie and I both forgot his big one...seriously- we both went back for it but somehow ended up without it? But I did remember to bring his gloves?

And I let him wear my scarf five seconds in when he was too cold.

Anyway- we started the search:

walking down the tight little isles of the perfect green.

Inspecting the trees for the one that was just right for us.

Not too tall or too bushy or too skinny.

Pulling one out here and there to see all sides.

The smell of the trees is intoxicating!

Really- one of my favorite scents ever.

tree cave

This guy was a little hard to keep track of in the tree maze... but we only lost him once.

Can this be the one?

Adam is usually the final judge.

Haha Linc...

This is me taking pics while guarding a tree as Adam and the boys look down the rest of the isles to make sure we found the best one. I told E to stand by a tree so I could get Adam to see it and someone TOOK it right out from under him. He was standing right in front of it, and they grabbed it!! Wouldn't you ask a little boy if this was his tree? Oh well- that's why I was guarding this one.

I sorta like the blur.

Success! We love our tree!

Linc claimed this as his string of lights and guarded them so nobody unplugged or tripped on them.

The boys were beyond excited to decorate the tree...

And since I'm the official light girl, I tried to hurry so they could decorate before bed.

They were all still up past ten on a school night.

But we got some decorations up.

And in the end my hands were covered in sap.

But I didn't mind. (That delicious smell!)

The boys kept themselves busy while waiting for the lights.

Finally ready to decorate!

My favorites are the picture ornaments.

So cute to see my little babies through the years.

Our Charlie Brown tree!

The boys did most of the decorating.

I love it so much!

It is so us.

And our house smells nice too-

Having it more in the middle of the room this year instead of backed in the corner is fun too--

thanks to our remodel this year changing things up a bit.

temple square

2011-11-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

The plan was to go snowboarding with Adam's family on Saturday,

until we realized half of us (including the kids) couldn't go.

So we went to dinner in Salt Lake and went to see the lights instead.

Mmmm- Bucca di Beppo- Italian food.

Collin was so funny- he sat and stared like this for a while after he woke up from a nap in his dad's arms...

Oliver the snuggler... he would snuggle all day if we let him.

Sini, Lincoln, Elliott & Kenzie

Ames, Collin and their gigantic chocolate cake!

With our warm dinner in our bellies,

next we headed outside to the coooooold to see the lights at Temple Square.

They did not disappoint.

And either did our handwarmers that most of us kept in our gloves and pockets.

Mister Lincoln held his in his freezing, gloveless hands.

Salt Lake Temple

Elliott, Kenzie, Oliver & Linc

Ollie telling everyone how hot his hands were!

Ames and Cody braved the cold temps too...

they live in warm Las Vegas so this was big. :)

Billions of lights!

Tanner & Megs

With Grandpa Steve

Christie and her bundled Gabby- she was sitting so still- so funny!

Grammy & Grandpa

How do they get all those lights on the tree???

Walking around the beautiful temple and checking out all the fountains.

floating lights on the reflection pond

I love these next few pictures... you can see what makes Linc happy:

He's a brave little 2 year old!

Where's Linc?

still holding his handwarmers

Oliver

We had a great time seeing the beautiful lights and feeling the spirit of Christmas!

But pictures don't do it justice.

You'll just have to go for yourself.

And here's a tip- handwarmers and hot chocolate. :)

autumn iphone

2011-11-27T23:24:00.001-07:00

We took one last walk in our little jackets.

We will be bundling up until Spring around here.

We are lucky to get such long, mild Autumns in Utah- with only an occasional snow.

It gets dark so early now... the only good thing about

that is that usually we get a beautiful, colorful sunset!

These are all along the roads in my little city.

I think they are so cool looking.

I finally pulled over to take a few pics.

With the Christmas season here, I finally forced myself

to get rid of all the pumpkins we grew.

It was hard.

I was even entertaining the idea of painting them

Christmas colors and making them part of my Christmas decor...

Our front lawn... I love it!

Thanksgiving pies.

I made cherry, chocolate and banana cream.

Megs made an amazing apple and pumpkin.

The boys cut these stars out with a (washed) playdough cutter for me.

Ollie's thankful hat he made at school.

Cousins- Kenzie and Elliott

Megs and her mini-me Lincoln.

I will miss the fall... it went way too fast.

But I'm looking forward to a peaceful, spiritual Christmas season.

thanksgiving

2011-11-26T09:50:00.001-07:00

Kenzie, Elliott & Oliver

We spent Thanksgiving with Adam's family.

Ames and Cody came in from Vegas.

Megs and Tanner came in from California.

Christie & Scott and Adam & I came from across town.

The cousins had so much fun playing together.

Elliott didn't want to eat very much before the big meal and ended up only eating a half a grapefruit until dinner at 5:30. He was so hungry and wanted to load up his plate!

I went to town on the mashed potatoes and gravy and rolls...

And I couldn't help having a little taste of all the pies.

Why am I only a pie fan on Thanksgiving?

Lincoln, Collin & Baby Will

Gabby, Christie & Scott

Megs & Tanner

Amy & Cody

Adam & Sini

Little Miss Gabby

I love that Gabby likes to come to me! :)

cherry, pumpkin, apple, chocolate & banana cream pie

Long day equals sleepy boys.

We had a great day with our family!

And I loved Adam's turn at saying what he was thankful for...

it was so heartfelt and thoughtful after everyone thought he would just joke it up.

cooking with the crew

2011-11-23T12:25:00.001-07:00

This is what it looks like when I make cookies... or anything really... in the kitchen.

Everyone wants a turn.

And sometimes it gets messy. (ALWAYS)

But the boys are (hopefully) learning how to make things.

Every once in a while I make cookies by myself and I'm always amazed how fast, easy and CLEAN it is.
But it's not a big event like when the boys help.
They usually eat so much dough that they don't want a cookie until the next day.
I'd much rather have a hot cookie than the icky dough.
Am I the only one?

Someone's been into the chocolate chips.

yellow submarine

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

One day we noticed all three boys wearing their yellow submarine shirts.

We love The Beatles around here.

I wish you could see our antics behind the camera helping them smile... mostly for Lincoln.

P.S. We made Ollie and Elliott's shirts from freezer paper and fabric paint-

I think Adam did most of the work on those two.

They're sorta cheesy, but they love them.