With Friends Like These I May Never Bake Again!

This post is a tribute to two of the very best cooks I know--Kristy & Lisa. When Kristy's boys were diagnosed with Celiac Disease I thought it would mean an abrupt end to delicious treats from her kitchen. I couldn't have been more wrong. Kristy has proven to be quite adept at baking with alternative flours and things turn out as yummy as ever. In fact, my own daughter requested a special gluten-free birthday cake after tasting one at Kristy's house. According to Allie it was the best cake she'd ever had. So...look what Allie got for her birthday this year:

The cake was delicious and the way it was decorated far exceeds anything I have ever even thought of attempting. My poor children. It's a good thing my friends take pity on them.

And then there is Lisa. On Sunday I had a meeting with the other Activity Day Leaders in our ward. Lisa pulled up just as I did and to my delight she had a treat. Lisa's baked goodies are always great. If you're ever lucky enough to attend a meeting with Lisa, you are in for a real treat (literally) because she will usually bring something delicious to share. The carrot cake she brought that afternoon was so yummy and I don't even particularly care for carrot cake. I happened to mention to her that I was craving it today and guess who showed up at my house this afternoon with a freshly baked carrot cake?

Guess who spoiled her dinner by eating 4 servings worth of carrot cake?

It's Great to be Eight

On Saturday Allie was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are proud of you Allie for making this important decision! We were reminded over and over again this weekend how lucky we are to have this choice little spirit in our family. Thanks to all of our friends and family for their support...we are truly blessed!

Back to School

I can't believe it is already time for Allie to go back to school! Allie is excited about being in 3rd grade and is really looking forward to learning how to write in cursive this year. I'm not sure why...she can barely stand to print 10 words a night for her spelling quiz. Oh, well. We'll embrace her enthusiasm as long as it lasts. Allie really likes her new teacher and is very excited about all her friends who are in the same class.

So worth the wait!

I am so happy with the produce that we are harvesting from our garden. It makes the hours of watering and weeding seem like a reasonable price to pay.

I am also pleased to report that after months and months of waiting Landon finally blew kisses for the first time tonight. It was so adorable that it definitely falls in the "so worth the wait" category. I'm just going to go ahead and pretend that it was me he was blowing kisses to--and not the dogs.

The Joys of Feeding a Toddler

Tonight we had spaghetti and corn bread for dinner. Landon kept saying "mmmmmm" over and over and over. By the end of the meal, this is what he looked like.

And, I've decided the pictures just don't do it justice. I took me 30 minutes to clean up Landon, his highchair, and the floor!

Be Careful What You Wish For...

Sunday I was released from my calling as Primary President. Just a week or so ago I told Eric that the combination of our 2 callings was getting to be too much for me (especially with Eric still in school 2 nights a week!) leaving far too little time left over for our family. It seemed as if one or the other of us was always headed off to a meeting, activity, interview, or camping trip. When I got word that the Bishop asked to meet with both of us I immediately knew what was coming and I wasn't as happy about it as I thought I would be when the time finally came. I was dreading that visit as much as I did the last trip in there when I was called to serve as Primary President--I think sometimes you just know. Eric tried to ease my frantic mind by telling me that "maybe the Bishop just wants to ask our opinion about...something". Right. He kept telling me that he didn't think that I was being released to which I eventually responded "that only leaves your calling to change then". That shut him up. He LOVES being the Scoutmaster and has no desire to ever be released.

It took a little while for all of this to sink in for me. I have wondered what I am going to do with the hours of time I will now have each week that used to be taken up by this busy calling. How will I like going to Relief Society after a 6 year hiatus? What about all my friends, old and young, who I have grown to love so much? What am I going to talk to Cindy and Lisa about every day? (Okay, I've got to admit I'm not really worried about this. But I am worried that life will get busy and I won't see or hear from them as much I hope.) I also want to publicly acknowledge all that Cindy, Lisa, Rachel, Amber, and Julianne have done to support and sustain me in this calling. Your friendship and encouragement through the years has meant more to me than I could ever put into words. Change is good, but it is hard. Here's to new adventures as well as the new learning and growing opportunities that lie ahead for me.

Happy, Happy Birthday Allie!

Today is Allison's 8th Birthday! Allie and her Dad are busy having fun on an overnighter at the Big Horn Ranch. They took Grandpa Swain and cousin Larkin along with them. I really hope that they don't come home with any terrifying bear stories this year. A mother's heart can only take one of those in a lifetime. I am going to ask Eric to do the blogging about this weekend's trip sometime in the next few days so keep checking back for the scoop--it's sure to be interesting.

Allie is growing into a young woman right before my very eyes. She has changed so much in the last couple of years. She is maturing and becoming more and more sophisticated and independent. It is so amazing to watch her as she continues to develop and learn and grow.

About a week and a half ago Allie was called to meet with the Bishop for her baptismal interview. The whole family got to tag along. The Bishop greeted us outside his office by saying "Allie, I hear that you have been waiting for this day for four years". Apparently this was something Allie confessed to the Bishop's daughter a few nights earlier when she went next door to help her weed a neighbor's yard. It made me laugh and it also made me think. Allie has been anxiously anticipating this day for as long as I can remember (and to be honest, I'm certain it's been longer than 4 years). She has such a tender spirit and a testimony and understanding of the gospel that humbles me. We are lucky parents to have been entrusted with this precious child!

I can't wait for her to return home so that the celebrating (with Landon and I) can begin! We are going to dinner with some friends and then over to another friends house to play games and have delicious gluten-free cake and ice cream. Really. It's tasty. Allie put in a special request a year ago for a gluten-free cake and today she's going to get her wish.

Happy Birthday, Allie. I love you!

A Sunday Evening Up Provo Canyon

Our AC has been acting up making all of us a little grumpier than usual. When we got home from church on Sunday our house was 84 degrees and climbing. We decided to take our dinner and head up Provo Canyon to Big Springs Park. It was a nice respite from the oppressive heat and it was so beautiful. We definitely don't go often enough.

One of Landon's favorite toys is his stroller. Just don't try and buckle him in. That ruins all the fun!

Landon has a flair for the dramatic. Even while drinking his milk.

Allie brought along her fishing pole to practice casting it. It was entertaining to say the least. She has "made up" all kinds of different ways to cast her line such as: the magic wand, golfing, and fly fishing. I think it's a good thing that there isn't a hook on her fishing line.





Landon loves to wrestle with Allie and I. Eric is always trying to get Landon to rough house with him instead. It never works. Maybe Landon is intimidated by his Daddy's size and strength? When Eric rolled over onto his stomach Landon took advantage of the opportunity to catch him off guard.

When the sun started to set, the canyon was so beautiful. We kind of wished we could stay there instead of coming home to the miserable heat.