10.31.2007

Halloween Fun!

10.25.2007

Little Miss Priss


Check out my new website! I have just started and there is lots more for me to add . I've wanted to do this for about a year now and I have finally gotten around to doing it. Check it out here. I'll add it to the sidebar of my blog page so that you can access it that way! Here's a sample picture!

Slow Down!!


We spend a lot of time in the car running errands, going to preschool and coming home from preschool, having play dates, going to church and church activities, and visiting Grandma and Grandpa! I have realized that while driving, I actually only spend about 40% of the time looking out of the front window. The other 60% of the time I am actually looking through the rear view mirror...at Hailey. It's amazing that we haven't been in an accident. Typically it's because she's begging for a piece of gum or she dropped something and she HAS to have it...or that one time when she opened up her door while I was driving...fast, she's either spilling something or trying to open her window and she is often taking one of her sister's toys and I'm telling her to give it back while Izzie's screaming in the background. Does this sound familiar? Today while we were headed to a play date straight from preschool, I was encouraging her to try and fall asleep for a few minutes before we arrived. As I was watching her through the mirror, I was stunned by my beautiful little girl! She was resting quietly, not yet quiet asleep with her eyes glazed over with tiredness. My emotions stormed in as I thought, "She is mine...all mine!" She looked so perfect as she sat there quietly and I just tried to enjoy every second of it as I knew it wouldn't last very long. I just kept looking and looking through that mirror trying to capture every spec of her quiet beautifullness. I know that's not a word...but that's how I felt. I love her so much...and I always do, but it's so hard to slow life down sometimes and to think about just how much I love her.

10.19.2007

Mommies Morning In!

I hosted a luncheon yesterday with some of my neighbors and their children. It was so much fun to be able to share good food, good friends, and to let the children enjoy their friends too. I didn't get a picture of Abbi's dish but it was amazing: Garlic Brie wrapped with bread and grapes and baguettes.

10.17.2007

Canon in D- Bedtime

This guy is so funny! He hit the nail on the head with this song. After the video is over there are some more that you can look at-find Bumblebee!! It's just as funny. Hailey has had me play it over and over again and she giggles the entire time.
To hear the You Tube Video you need to first pause the music playing in the right hand screen (labeled as {Story of our Lives}) so that you don't hear two things at once. You pause the music by clicking on the speaker on the bottom left side.

10.13.2007

Back in the day!

This is the home that I grew up in and have had so many memories in. My parents are getting ready to sell it and move to Utah which is so exciting for them but at the same time it's so sad. It will always be my home...even when strangers are living there.
Check it out!! This is back in the 80's and I'm laughing at the decorations in my parents house. I think that it was all in style and even hip! The two lamps in this photo I now have in my house. I spray painted them black and bought new lamp shades for them and they look like they fit in the 2000's! Do you like my little German girl dress?? Hailey and Isabella both have some of mine and they look so cute in them.

10.11.2007

Roller Blading with the Family!

10.09.2007

Hailey's World

Hailey brings so much life into our family...we would be so bored without her constant entertainment. She loves to dance (actually she loves to "shake her booty" and as many friends know she thinks it's cute to shake it and say "booty, booty,booty" everywhere we go). She is a three year old in five year olds body and we're all still trying to figure that one out. We have to remind ourselves very frequently that some of the kids her age are still in diapers...meaning...she is still very young. I think that a lot has been expected from her and she just keeps amazing us with her ability to keep up. She is so animated and ready to have a party-I think she'll keep me young forever. She adores her date nights with John and tells me every detail when she gets home. I hope that this trait sticks for the teenage years. She is not so quick at loving just anybody...but once she does love...she does it with all she's got. She is becoming such a fun girl and helps me keep a smile on my face even when I don't feel like smiling. What a blessing!


Isabella's World

Isabella has such a wonderful smile. I always hear, "she's even prettier when she smiles." At eight months she still has no teeth and we love that gummy grin she gives us every time that we look at her. Bella is such a daddies girl-if he walks into the room she instantly drops what she's doing and gives him a chuckle and then a subtle grunt which we all know as "daddy pick me up." She has a few things that she owns in our family...one are my car keys. Yep, they're HERS and nobody else's. She knows as soon as we walk out the front door that I will have the keys in my hand and it is her mission to retrieve them. It is then my mission to try and retrieve them back when it's time to unlock the car doors. Another thing that she owns are burp cloths-a.k.a-cloth diapers or spit rags. She CANNOT sleep without one or two of these on her face. I know it doesn't sound so safe...but she's been like that since she was first born. She wouldn't fall asleep until her face was covered (as a newborn...she used her own hands to hide her face)! If she sees a burp cloth she instantly snuggles in and covers up her face. She has loved watching Hailey and recently has started playing with her. They will sometimes play on the floor in Hailey's room for 45 minutes...toys of choice...Little People and Barbie. I tried taking Ken (you know Barbie's mate) away from Izzie today and she SCREAMED! Yikes. She sure is sweet and cuddly though. Still no rolling or crawling. She is getting close but not quite there. We sure do love her and are so grateful that we have her in our family.

10.07.2007

Pink Bunny

Hailey, Izzie, and I were going to run a few errands with my mom while John was attending the Priesthood session of conference. I told Hailey that she could pick out one toy to bring with us and she struggled between her two favorite bunnies-Thumper or Pink Bunny. Pink Bunny usually is the one that gets the boot; however tonight Hailey was very sad that Pink Bunny was going to be left behind. We were leaving a few minutes before John and as we were saying goodbye to him, Hailey gave him a few important instructions. She said, "Daddy you need to take care of bunny while I'm gone. He needs a drink of water and you have to take him potty or he might go'ed poop in his panties.. Okay Daddy...and he needs to go to bed
too. Okay Daddy." When we came home from our errands we found this sweet note from John. Sure enough, we checked on Pink Bunny and she was tucked in bed with a water bottle next to her and her night light turned on. Love it!!

10.03.2007

Boston Cream Cake


My friends John and Abbi love to eat at a dessert shop called "Cake Love" located in Washington D.C. and Maryland. I have not had the chance to eat there yet but they LOVE it's CAKES!! They found this recipe which is actually one of "Cake Loves" recipes and it's so delicious. I do not even like cake and I would eat this before any of my favorite desserts. The picture just doesn't do it justice because I'm not a great froster...I just poured it on, but trust me it's so yummy. I've already made it twice since last Saturday and so has John and Abbi.
Cake:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for the pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 cup unsalted butte (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk

Cream Custard Filling:
1 1/4 cups milk
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch fine salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled

Chocolate Glaze:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter and flour a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, and set it aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl, and set it aside.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand-held electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and citrus zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer running on low, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the milk in 2 parts, until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a rack. Turn the cake out of the pan to cool completely.

To make the cream filling: In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat, until bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from the heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. While whisking, gradually pour the milk into the eggs. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. While whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat; cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter and vanilla. Put the custard in a medium bowl, and lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Whip the cream until it holds a soft peak. Lightly whisk the chilled custard to loosen it up. Fold the cream into the custard; refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.

To make the glaze: Put the chocolate and corn syrup in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Cool slightly before glazing the cake.
To assemble the cake: Slice the cake in horizontally with a serrated knife, into two pieces, starting about 5/8ths of the way up the sides of the cake. (The top piece should be slightly thinner than the bottom.) Place the bottom of the cake on a 9-inch cardboard cake round or flat plate. Spread the cream just to the edges of the cake and cover with the top layer. Pour all the glaze over the cake. Tilt the cake so the glaze covers it evenly and runs down the sides. Refrigerate until ready to serve.