It's Been a While

What can I say? We've been busy. First of all, I would like to start by thanking those who have helped my family for the last couple of weeks while I have been recovering from pneumonia. Who gets pneumonia in 90 degree weather anyways?!?

Moving on to more exciting things...Allie has her new glasses thanks to very generous grandparents. Thanks Mom & Dad! She has loved being able to see in class. The best part of all is that she has been very responsible with them.

Landon has become quite a thief in the last little while. While I was sick he would sneak into my bedroom and take things and I was too sick to chase him. Eventually Allie or Eric would intercept him and return the stolen goods to me. Now he thinks it's a fun game. One of his favorite things to steal is shoes which he will either wear or hide in his drawer under the stove. When he gets more creative with where he hides things we could be in real trouble!

When did he get so blond?

Landon has also invented a new game for himself. He likes to take his sippy cups and roll them all over the dining room floor. He will roll and chase a cup for a good 30 minutes. It's pretty funny to watch him in action.

On Labor Day we went to Thanksgiving Point to the Museum of Ancient Life. It was a lot of fun and because we got there as they were opening, it wasn't too crowded. We had a 5-year-old neighbor friend with us while his lucky parents were vacationing in Hawaii. We tried to get a picture with all 3 kids looking at us and failed miserably...

The water table and sand box are always favorites with the kids!

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?

Happy Baptism Day Boys!

These cute boys and I have something in common. I was baptized exactly 22 years to the day before them. Thanks for sharing your special day with us!

Guess who is next in line? Allie! Her big day is coming up on Saturday, September 6th.

SOOOO cold!

Tonight I took Allie to Thanksgiving Point Gardens because her choir group was performing there for the Tulip Festival (ironic because there were no tulips to be seen yet thanks to the extra cold temperatures!). Lucky little Landon got to stay at Poppy and Grandma's in their warm house and play with toys and eat food, his two favorite things.

I think it is safe to say that the children in the choir and their parents who had to bring them there were the only ones crazy enough to brave the cold. The worst part is that the sound system hadn't been set up so we had to wait around for that to be put up before we could even begin. The children in the choir cheered the loudest when the concert was over because they were so happy to be done and able to return to their warm cars. Is anyone else finding it hard to believe it is supposed to be beautiful weather in just a couple of days?

Allie was so excited to be there...for the first 5 minutes.


Thankfully our little buddy Jasper was there to keep us laughing. He is one FUNNY kid! When I took a picture of Allie he asked me to take one of him too. Allie told him that I would post it on our blog. He was excited (although I'm pretty sure he had no idea what that meant).


It could be worse. I could be on the Scout camp out with Eric tonight! I hope he's staying warm.