Birthdays and wedding rings

First I want to wish my nephew, Grant a Happy 1st Birthday today!

We are thinking of you lots and wishing we could be there to witness the destruction of your cake! Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And second, a big CONGRATS to my sister-in-law, Lori, who became Mrs. Croft on November 13th!

Friday the 13th, that is!



We are so happy that Jared has joined the family. He and Lori are like two peas in a pod. I know that sounds cliche, but I've seriously never met a man and a woman who were more alike and meant to be together. They will be very happy.

Fun stuff going on in the Andersen family these days...

November

November was another crazy month that flew by even faster than other recent months have. I taught preschool, the kids celebrated birthdays, and, among other things, we hosted a huge crowd for Thanksgiving. Good times were had. I have a ton of photos highlighting these events, which I will get to eventually. For now, here are a few random ones.

Nothin' like a bath in the sink!

I brought cupcakes to Chloe's preschool on her birthday. Here she is, making a wish!


Here's how we took advantage of the few warm November days we had...

The first half of the month started off slow for me, business wise. I'll admit I was discouraged, as I'd been so busy since mid-August. But at the same time, the break was nice and, looking back, much needed. Just when I was beginning to think posting my pricing on my blog had been a mistake, phone calls and emails started trickling in once again. I have come so far. I am not even remotely intimidated by my camera anymore. I still don't know what half the knobs and dials do, but I'm getting there. I'm beginning to acquire decent equipment, and recognizing how to utilize it to its fullest potential. More than anything, I'm finally feeling confident with my knowledge and work. I still have so far to go, and believe me, I recognize that! But I feel like all the hours I've spent reading and tinkering around has finally started to pay off. Things are clicking, and I'm having many more "ah HA!" moments than I am, "Grrr.. why doesn't this make sense?" moments. It's been such a fulfilling journey so far, and one I really never expected to have. In March when I bought my camera, I never dreamed I'd be running a small business within a matter of months!

We started building a website a few weeks ago. I had hoped to have it up and running by December 1st, but clearly that didn't happen. We are now shooting for next weekend. I am continually amazed by Neil. He has been 110% behind me from the moment I told him I wanted a dSLR. He recognizes how happy all of this has made me, and has helped me in every way possible to reach my goals. He is so smart, and I've taken full advantage of that more than once! So often I'll read something that just isn't clicking, but that I know is valuable and that I need to grasp in order to move forward. I'll admit there have been occasions where I've had Neil read whatever it was to himself and then explain it to me on my level of understanding. Luckily those moments have become fewer and farther between, as I've started to grasp a lot of it on my own. Still, as a result, we joke that he's got the brains for photography and I've got the eye! We make a good team.

Speaking of Neil, check out this table he's building!

I think all that's left is a bottom shelf, some glue and stain. I am convinced that this guy is capable of anything he sets his mind to. He has a talent for figuring things out, including the construction of this table. He is gradually getting more and more into wood working, and hopes to eventually build us a bedroom set. So cool. Photos of the finished product to come...

Oh, my sweet boy. Just look at that face!

And check this out! Ryan has found a new place to stash his snacks! Impressive.

And as if this post isn't random enough, I just want to finish off by congratulating my parents, who MET 47 YEARS AGO TODAY! If that isn't something to feel proud about, I don't know what is! Wow. Way to go, guys!

I will post about preschool, Chloe's birthday and Thanksgiving very soon, so stay tuned. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Turn Around...

4 years ago tonight (almost to this moment), Chloe made me a mama.



My how the time has flown. I can hardly even remember Chloe being a baby! How sad! She's such a little lady now; determined, sharp, witty and precocious. The girl knows what she wants, and while that presents plenty of challenges for her parents, I know it's going to really pay off some day.

In the weeks leading up to Chloe's birth, I frequently listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's album, 'Love Is Spoken Here'. To this day those songs take me to the land of nostalgia; to those tender final moments of anticipating her arrival, and those tender first moments of holding her in my arms. One song in particular will forever hold a place in my heart, as it has practically taken the words right out of my mouth (and, no doubt, will continue to). It's a bittersweet song that any mother can relate to.

Turn Around
by Harry Belafonte

Where are you going my little one, little one
Where are you going my baby my own
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door

Turn around (turn around)
Turn around (turn around)
Turn around and you're a young girl
goin' out of the door

Where are you going my little one, little one
Dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone
Turn around and you're tiny, turn around and you're grown
Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own

Happy Birthday Chloebug! I look forward to turning around lots more as you continue to grow... Love you.

Ellen and SYTYCD

Wendy did a recent blog post about Season 5's So You Think You Can Dance Top 10 tour, which she attended in Salt Lake! Clearly, it was awesome! They were out here in Colorado Springs last weekend and I wanted to go so badly!

As I perused Wendy's post, memories of Season 5's favorite routines came swarming into my head, so I decided to hop on YouTube to find some of them, and happened upon this. If you watch SYTYCD, this will bring a smile to your face. If you watch SYTYCD and are an Ellen fan, this will definitely bring a smile to your face! The woman cracks me up. I adore her.



What do you think of Season 6 so far? The talent is certainly there, but I haven't found a dancer yet as endearing as some of the dancers from Season 5. We'll see what the coming weeks bring!

My babies

Here's a peek at the kids' year pictures I did this evening.

I'll post more in the next couple days.

Happy Birthday little man!

Yesterday Ryan turned one. Wow! It's amazing how quickly this year has flown by. I know every mother says that on her child's first birthday (or any birthday for that matter), but it's the truth!

Seems like a matter of weeks ago that he looked like this!
(4 weeks old)


In honor of my favorite boy, here are some facts about his first year of life! In the last 12 months, Ryan has:

• Gained 9 pounds and 15 ounces
  
• Grown 8 inches
  
• Endured the breaking through of 4 teeth (#4 barely broke through yesterday or today)
  
• Visited 5 states
  
• Endured RSV, and a 4 day hospital stay
  
• Flown on an airplane twice and taken several road trips
  
• Seen Diana Krall in concert
  
• Taken up to 3 steps on his own (though shows little to no interest in walking)
  
• Learned to roll over, sit up, scoot, crawl, grunt, growl, giggle and squeal, climb the stairs, feed himself, wave, clap, give 5, point, and dance. Still no words. Everything continues to be, "Dat dat dat!"
  
  At Ryan's year check up, he weighed in at 17 lbs., 10 oz., and measured 29 inches. That puts him (or should I say keeps him) in the 1st percentile for weight, and the 26th percentile for height. He's in size 3 diapers, size 2 shoes and 6-9 month clothes. He can wear some 12 month stuff, but most of the new stuff I get out and put on him just drowns him. Chloe was the same way. I love it!
  
  Ryan's food of choice these days is a banana. He would eat 2 for every meal if we let him. Yogurt is another favorite. He's been on whole milk for over a month. I introduced it to him when he was showing less and less interest in formula (can't blame him). While he's doing a lot better with milk, he still has days where he refuses it. I'm resisting adding strawberry syrup to make it more enticing since I am STILL trying to break that habit with Chloe, who turns 4 next week!
  
  Speaking of Chloe, Ryan is beginning to learn the art of teasing. It's great. He'll go over to Chloe while she's sitting on the couch watching a show and start yanking at her blanket. Makes her so mad! It's hilarious! I think the days of pay back are finally approaching. Goodness knows Ryan's endured enough torment in his day. We were at Costco the other week and Chloe and Ryan were sitting side by side in the front of the cart. Every time Chloe got a free sample Ryan would reach for it and sometimes get it out of her hands. If he wasn't able to reach it, he would instead start pulling her hair. We certainly don't encourage it, but I'll admit it's pretty funny to see that the tables are beginning to turn.
  
  Here are some birthday photos.
  
  Sunday night we went over to the Hasler's for dinner and had a pre-birthday celebration. Ryan had his first helping of strawberry shortcake and loved it! He has good taste like his mama.
  
  
  
  
  
  Here he is sitting on the exam table waiting for the evil nurse to come in and make him cry. What a mean mom I was to schedule my son's check up on his birthday when he had to have shots. Good thing he won't remember in years to come!

After Ryan's appointment, we met Daddy at Chili's for a birthday lunch.

Ryan got his very own birthday sundae! Definitely made up for the shots!
He was a little overwhelmed at first, but ate EVERY. LAST. BITE.

The sugar high wore off pretty fast... he crashed on the way home.

After a nice long birthday nap, it was time for presents!



Thanks Grandpa and Grandma G and L for all the fun clothes and toys! You guys are the best!

And... more dessert. Wow, I think I could really get used to this birthday stuff!

This is Ryan's latest expression. Where it came from, I haven't a clue! Isn't it adorable?

Yum!

(I did get some video, but for some reason it wouldn't load into blogger. I'll keep trying.)

I am so lucky to be this little guy's mom. He is so sweet tempered and happy. He inspires me to find more joy in the simple things of life. I love him so much and can't wait to see what the coming months bring for his growth and development. Happy Birthday, little man!

Recipe of the Week: Stuffed Chicken Pillows

I've seen several variations of this recipe. Using a combination of ideas, I came up with my own version earlier this week. HOLY. COW. These are good! Last night I made them again for some friends we had over, and they were just as delicious as we remembered them! It seemed no one could get enough. Try them out! They are so simple and yummy. Also a great way to use up left over Thanksgiving turkey!

Stuffed Chicken Pillows

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz. tube crescent rolls (8 ct.)
• 2/3 c. Stovetop stuffing, coarsely crushed
• 6 T. butter, melted

Filling ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded/cubed (I seasoned with garlic salt and sage)
• 1 8oz. package cream cheese
• 4 T. butter, softened
• 1 T. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. colby jack cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine filling ingredients and blend with hand mixer in large bowl.

In a pie dish or shallow bowl, combine melted butter and stuffing; mix until butter is absorbed.

Remove crescent rolls from tube and lay them out flat. Divide filling among crescent rolls, placing a dollop on the wide end, then roll them up, squeezing sides together as needed to ensure none of the filling escapes. :) Coat crescent rolls liberally with stuffing mixture and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown.

While I haven't tried it, I read you can freeze these babies. I want to say you bake them at 275 for 10 minutes, cool and throw into freezer bags and freezer. Then when you're ready to eat them, just throw them onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Again, haven't tried it, but it seems like it would work just fine.

Misc.:

Some versions of this recipe call for bread crumbs rather than stuffing. Some don't call for ANY coating, but rather a cream of chicken gravy that you can pour over the top (can of cream of chicken soup diluted with milk). While my recipe above is the only way I've tried these, I'll have to say there's nothing I would change! They are amazing as is, and practically effortless to make!

I think the concept of using crescent rolls this way also opens the door to endless filling possibilities! If you wanted to go Italian, you could combine chicken or ground beef, chopped spinich, spaghetti and/or pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, and maybe a touch of cottage cheese. Or go Mexican with some taco meat, cheese, refried beans, salsa and sour cream. Gosh, you could even make these into a simple pastry dessert and fill them with fruit preserves and coat with sugar!

Halloween LSU style

This year for Halloween the kids represented one of our teams. Chloe was a LSU cheerleader and Ryan was LSU's mascot, Mike the Tiger. They made quite the duo!

Here are a few pictures from our Ward party Friday evening.




With one of Chloe's preschool friends, Scott.


We missed Neil, who was up in Lyons helping Jared and Lori install windows.

Here are Chloe and Ryan Halloween night just before we went Trick of Treating! Just a fair warning, I got a little camera happy! Shocker, I know.


Chloe was anxious to show off the pumpkin she'd painted in preschool earlier in the week.


"Geaux Tigers!"


He may be sweet, but he knows how to growl!











With Abigail, our neighbor from across the street. She was a doggy.

We ended up spending most of the evening at "Grandma" and "Grandpa" Hasler's. They were anxious to see the kids in their costumes, so we stopped by. Chloe seemed more excited about opening the door and handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters than going trick-or-treating herself!


Ryan was much too immersed in the text message he'd just received to pay any attention to the deep discussion Grandpa Hasler and Chloe were having.



So is it just a coincidence that LSU spanked Tulane 42-0 on Halloween night? I think not!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

Oh Ryan...

Apparently Ryan doesn't think I have enough on my plate. Saturday he made this ever so clear by adding numerous tasks to my already busy day! To start off, he produced thee nastiest blow out diaper I have ever seen in my life! I'll spare you the details, but trust me - it was memorable!

Shortly after that exploding surprise, Ryan decided he was hungry. Now mind you, he'd already eaten 2 bananas for breakfast! I kid you not - 2 bananas! That's actually standard for him these days. He eats like a little pig but it never shows. Anyway, I'm in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher when Chloe runs out of our bedroom announcing that Ryan had just dumped a box of Lucky Charms all over our floor. Dear heavens! How did the box get to our bedroom in the first place?

Upon entering the room, here is what I found:




Frustrated? You bet I was! But I couldn't help but shake my head and smile. It was the look of delight in Ryan's eyes as he stuffed his little mouth, then extended a sticky handful in my direction as if to say, "Here Mommy! There's plenty for you too!" that got me. Precious little stinker.

I suppose he looks a little guilty. But who could stay mad at this sticky-faced cutie pie? Not me!

Before I delve into Ryan's next mission of destruction, let me give you a little background. Earlier in the week, I helped Neil with a young men's activity where we learned about photography. Our Bishop, who shares this hobby graciously lent us an instructional booklet/DVD set to use during the activity. He then allowed me to take it home because included in the set was an instructional DVD specifically designed for my camera and I was curious to check it out. I had been so careful with it, keeping it out of both Chloe and Ryan's reach. Friday night I placed it on top of my diaper bag on the bench in our mudroom so I wouldn't forget to bring it to church Sunday. I placed it where I thought Ryan could never get to it. But whether it was within or without Ryan's reach, he found a way! Not only did he get his hands on it, but within a 30 second period, managed to open the booklet, get one of the DVDS out of its plastic sleeve, place it face down on the floor, and rotate it around in circles. Oh yeah, it was scratched big time! Upon discovering what he was up to, I rushed over and grabbed the DVD out of his hands, cleaned it with some special spray, and then nervously popped it into the DVD player to see the actual damage that had been done. It looked pretty destroyed, but miraculously, I played it from start to finish and it didn't skip once! I still felt horrible, and dreaded confronting the Bishop about it the following day.

As if the morning wasn't thrilling enough, only moments later, Ryan was onto the pantry for another snack. Apparently the DVD fiasco burned off the sugar high from the Lucky Charms, and he was, once again, hungry! So I'm in the kitchen freaking out about the DVD when suddenly I hear a spill. I turn to look around the corner, and what do you know? Another mess! This time, goldfish!

Oh Ryan...

The rest of the day was much less eventful, but Ryan still kept me on my toes.

To start, there was the "How can I make up for my transgressions of the day? Oh, I know! I'll help mom with the laundry!" (Right after this picture was taken, he started pulling the freshly folded clothes out of the basket. Good thing I was there to stop him!)

...Followed by the classic, "Let's see if this roll of toilet paper is longer than the last one I played with!"


And what could possibly be more entertaining than turning the TV on and off over and over and over and over and over and over and over again?

These were taken sometime last week when Chloe decided Ryan was a better fit for her stroller than her doll! I know I shouldn't have allowed it, but it was absolutely hilarious watching her push him around in this thing, and I had to capture it! Ryan was having just as swell a time as Chloe was. Their laughter was contagious.

My children certainly drive me nuts, but I love 'em. It'll be interesting to see what these coming months bring as Ryan really starts trying to get away with stuff!

Halloween updates just around the corner!

Recipe(s) of the Decade: Fall Favorites

In honor of the season, here are a couple of my favorite Fall recipes. This first one is a simple alternative to pumpkin pie, and feeds a ton!

Pumpkin Shortbread
(by Taste of Home)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 c. sugar, divided
• 1/2 c. cold butter
• 1 (29oz.) can solid-packed pumpkin
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. ground cloves
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. ground ginger
• 2 (12oz. cans evaporated milk)

Ingredients:

In bowl, combine 1/4 c. sugar and flour; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Press into an ungreased 9x13 in. casserole dish. In another bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, salt, spices and remaining sugar. Stir in milk. Pour over crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 50-55 minutes longer, or until filling is set. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate over night. Cut into squares. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.

~~~

This next recipe I have loved for years. My friend Amy had it simmering in her crock pot one afternoon when I was hanging out at her house. One taste of it sold me. It's very basic, but so so good! Here's the original recipe, plus my own two cents at the bottom. Be sure to read those, because they offer great improvements to an already amazing meal!

All-American Beef Stew
(by Land O Lakes)

Ingredients:

• 1 T. butter
• 1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into cubes *(or see my "two cents" below)
• 2 c. vegetable juice cocktail
• 1 (14.5oz.) can beef broth
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1-in. pieces
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t. garlic salt
• 1/2 t. dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 t. marjoram leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 c. frozen peas
• 1/2 c. water
• 3 T. all-purpose flour
• 2 T. red wine or beef broth

Instructions:

Melt butter in large skillet until sizzling; add meat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned (5-7 minutes).

Place meat in crock pot. Stir in all remaining ingredients except peas, water, flour and wine/beef broth.

Cover; cook on LOW for 8-9 hours, or HIGH for 5-6 hours, or until beef is tender. Uncover, remove bay leaf. Stir in peas.

Stir together water, flour and wine/beef broth in small bowl until smooth. Slowly stir flour mixture into beef mixture, stirring constantly. Switch to HIGH setting, stirring occasionally, until thickened (8-10 minutes).

My own two cents:

Here's an alternative to the stew meat. The night BEFORE you make the stew, brown a 2-3 lb. roast, then place in crock pot on LOW, along with 1 c. water. By morning (10-12 hours later), the meat will be falling apart tender, and the juices produced from the roast can be used in place of the beef broth. Last time I did this, I cooked a 3 lb. roast and used half the meat in the stew, then put the other half in a ziploc bag and into the freezer for later use. It is SO MUCH BETTER than standard old stew meat. Give it a try!

Happy Fall, everyone! Or should I say winter? That's what it's felt more like around here so far!

New business, an unexpected haircut and family photos

I have been such a slacker with this blog. Life has been busy, what can I say? Here is an overdue update!

To start things off, I registered my business with the state of Colorado yesterday! So Valeri Andersen Photography is officially official! With things taking off so quickly, I felt like I needed to do it. It will be tedious having to keep track of every little detail (thank goodness for Microsoft Excel), but there are plenty of advantages, and ultimately it's the honest way to operate a business. Things are beginning to slow down for me, which I'm happy about. For a while it seemed things were getting out of control. I have no one to blame for that but myself. Still, I am so grateful for the growth and confidence I've gained though the many opportunities presented to me in the recent weeks. It's been a great start to what I hope will be a successful business!

I have not updated my photography blog in weeks! A lot of it is lack of time, but I'm also so far behind, I hardly even know where to begin. I have easily done 15 sessions that aren't even posted on there. It's a time-consuming process going through and picking out the best photos from any given session, and then posting them. By the time I finish the editing process, the last thing I feel like doing is updating my blog. Instead I want to burn a cd, give it to the client and be done! I am also in the process of creating a website, so it's possible that the blog will eventually fizzle out. We'll see. I did create a fan page on Facebook, so look me up if you're interested! There are some recent photos there. I do love my fans and plan to offer some fun incentives in the coming months, so check it out.

Speaking of photography, we did our family photos last Saturday!



Since taking family photos is nearly impossible (or at least tricky) when you'd like to be in them yourself, my friend Rachael and I helped each other out. We each brought our own camera and took turns playing photographer. It was a great system! We ran out of day light quickly, so I didn't get hardly anything of the kids, nor of Neil and me, which I'd really hoped. Luckily both the kids have birthdays in the next couple weeks, so I'll be doing their year photos around then. And, well, maybe one of these days I can talk Neil into doing some good old husband/wife photos...











You wouldn't know it, but only an hour or two prior to our shoot, Chloe decided she needed a haircut! I'm sure you know where this is going. I was actually giving her a small trim when I left the room for a minute to grab a water bottle. Before leaving, I specifically told her NOT to touch the scissors. I really thought she would listen, but would I be sharing all of this if she had ? Probably not. When I came back into the bathroom less than a minute later, here's what I found in the sink. Let's just say Chloe almost didn't survive the day. I was so mad, mainly because she deliberately disobeyed me. But the fact that we had pictures that same day didn't help anything. I think I scared the you know what out of her! And I don't think she'll be attempting that again! Luckily she took a small chunk off each side of her head. Why she chose those areas are beyond me, but I think it saved the photos because I was able to lay the hair on top of her head over those areas. Needless to say she'll pretty much be wearing her hair down non-stop until the hair grows back enough that it doesn't look ridiculous! Crazy kid.

{This one's my favorite}

The kids are doing great. Yesterday and today I've spotted Ryan standing several times on his own, not holding onto anything. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before he's taking his first steps, and then taking OFF! He still only has 2 teeth. That top left one is sure being stubborn. I've been watching and feeling for it for over a week now, and it still hasn't broken through. Poor Ryan. Hopefully the teething stage, at least for now, will be past him soon! He has a birthday in just a little over a week! Where did my baby go? Ah!

Not much more going on. Neil has quite enjoyed being able to relax and watch football on Saturdays without having to worry about house projects. I think we are all relieved to have them over with!

That's about it with us for now. Friday I'm going to try and venture out to a local pumpkin patch with the kids. I had originally planned to go today until the snow hit. So now the plan is Friday. We'll see if the weather holds up. Friday evening begins the Halloween festivities with a church chili cook-off and plenty of candy and games for the kids. Chloe is going to be a LSU cheerleader and Ryan is going to be a tiger (LSU's mascot). For those of you wondering what our connection to LSU is, read this post. Chloe keeps complaining that she wants to be a princess, even though she was initially excited about the cheerleader idea. Oh well! Once she has a decent amount of candy to distract her, I don't think she'll care what she is!

More October photos to come! Have a good night everyone!

Happy Birthday David!

Happy Birthday to my brother, and one of my very best friends, David!


{David with Ryan - October 2009 in Brighton, UT}

How else do I put it? You are awesome! I love your surprises. I love your sense of humor. I love your compassion. I love the way you love your niece and nephew. I love the way you value family. Thank you for everything you do. The Hallidays lucked out when you came along 36 years ago today! We all know it, and I hope you do too! Happy Birthday!

Chloe's tale of Princess Joseph

Apparently Chloe got quite the bedtime/Bible/princess story fill during Grandpa and Grandma's recent visit. Two weeks ago for Family Home Evening, she decided to read us a story. When we gave her the okay, she raced to her room with excitement, only to race back to the living room carrying 'The Chronicles of Narnia' set. She then opened the final book in the series, 'The Last Battle', and proceeded to "read" from it out loud. The story went a little something like this:

Chloe: "Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived a very beautiful princess!"

Okay. So far, so good. I especially like the "long, long ago." It wasn't just long ago. It was long, long ago! And this is a very beautiful princess we're talking about. Way to be descriptive, Chloe!

Neil: "Did the princess have a name?"

Chloe: "Yes! Her name was Joseph!"

Neil: "Joseph, huh?"

Interesting name choice....

Chloe: "But then one day she died."

Neil: "What!? She died? Well, how did that happen?"

Chloe: "Actually, um, well, the TV fell on top of her!" (giggles...apparently she thought this part of the story was funny).

Okay, so let me get this straight. This princess - Joseph - who lived long, long ago, and who was very beautiful, was tragically struck by a TV? Wow. That could ruin some one's day. And who knew TVs existed back then?!

Chloe: "But then she grew alive again!"

Neil: "Oh, okay! Whew, I was worried!"

Chloe: (giggling, again) "Then she died again!"

This is where the giggling turned into complete hysterics. I've never seen a child crack herself up to the extreme that Chloe did at this very moment.

Neil: "What? AGAIN? Well, how this time?"

Chloe: "A clock fell on her!"

And on and on the story went. Not really sure what she's been getting too much of that would produce such an imaginatively disturbing tale in the mind of a 3 year old! Too much 'Enchanted', perhaps? She has been a bit obsessed with that movie. Well, needless to say, Family Home Evening was an entertaining one that night!

{To keep with the theme of this post, here's Grandma and Chloe reading bedtime stories - Sept '09.}

Ryan's latest

My goal of writing monthly updates for Ryan vanished a while ago, but I have still managed to jot down most of the important facts. Here's the latest on our handsome boy.

He will celebrate his 1st birthday in 26 days!

He has a tooth! It isn’t much of one yet – more like a tiny white stump, but it’s slowly making its way through! It's his bottom left, and I noticed it Monday. His two top teeth aren't far behind.

Ryan's favorite things:

• Pulling every single wipe out of the wipes container.
  
  
• Pulling clothes out of dresser drawers, books off shelves and just about anything else that looks out of place to him! He has an eye for organization!
  
  
• Pooping right after a diaper change.
  
  
• "Helping" load and unload the dishwasher.
  
  

  
  Notice Mr. Daredevil's going straight for the steak knife!
  
  
  
  

• Dropping food off his food tray, whether he's full or just looking for further amusement.
  
  
• Mom's cell phone. He's quite the texter!
  
  
• Cheetos!
  
  
  
  Recent milestones:
  
  
• Can stand for 5-10 seconds at a time, but shows little if any interest in walking. He is so capable, but has no drive whatsoever. I'm actually just fine with that, to be quite honest!
  
  
• Raises his hands up in the air when he hears someone say, "hooray!" He learned it from his friend, Lasson.
  
  
• Waves and says "Dat, dat!" when he hears someone say "Night, night" or "Bye, bye".
  
  
• Dances on cue (or rather, bounces up and down while smiling with glee).
  
  
  
  
• Is climbing! He climbed his first flight of stairs a couple weeks ago, and continues to climb anything he thinks he can manage. His lack of fear worries me. You'd think after a handful of falls he would learn. But no. He just keeps on climbin'.
  
  
  
  My favorite things:
  
  
• He is more cuddly than ever. During Brady and Sara's family dinner the night before their wedding last Tuesday evening, Ryan fell asleep in my arms. I can probably count on one hand the number of times he's done this! It was so sweet that I just couldn't bring myself to go lay him down. While it isn't often that he'll fall asleep, he will rest his head on my shoulder peacefully and just chill. He's my little snuggler.
  
  
• I'm his favorite.
  
  
• His facial expressions. Especially when he gives me that gummy smile, closes his eyes, scrunches his nose and tilts his head back like Stevie Wonder.
  
  
  
  
• Whenever I tell him "No no!", he immediately shakes his head in agreement. Darling.
  
  
• Everything is "dat, dat, dat..."
  
  
• He continues to grunt, grumble, and groan. He sounds like he's pretending to be a fierce animal at times. Hilarious.
  
  

  
  Just for you, Grandma Susie! Geaux Tigers!
  
  My sweet little boy is just growing too fast! As Fall has clearly made its entrance, I've found myself reminiscing about last year at this time, when Ryan was almost here. My, how time flies. I look at him and can hardly believe he will celebrate his first birthday in less than 4 weeks! It's bittersweet. Of course I love witnessing each milestone and cheering him on. But oh, how I miss the itty bitty baby he was for only a few blinks of an eye.
  
  
  Love you, buddy.

{By the way, I'm aware that some of the photos in this post are cut off on the right side. I can't figure out what the problem is. They are centered just like the ones that aren't getting cut off are.}

My boys

I came home from a photo shoot this evening to find this...



...and I just had to capture it. So SO sweet. I love my boys.

Wedding bells...

I've been in Utah for the past week celebrating wedding festivities for Brady and Sara, attending Conference, spending time with both sides of the family, and building memories. Now I am home trying to catch up on the life I left behind. Just had to post this photo. If you're on facebook, check out my page for some others I took of the bride and groom! More updates to come soon. I have hundreds of pictures I need to get through!

An Anniversary wish...

Before midnight hits, I just have to quickly congratulate my amazing parents, who celebrate...

...are you ready?

43 years of marriage today!

Just look at these adorable children, who wouldn't even exist if it weren't for you!



I say you have a lot to be proud of! We love you both and hope your day has been perfect! XOXO.

A surprise visit

Saturday, the 19th, Neil decided out of the blue that he needed to get out of the house. I had a Primary Activity that morning followed by a baby shower that afternoon. Originally we'd planned to head out after the shower so we wouldn't have anything to rush back for. But as soon as I got home from the activity, Neil was strangely anxious to go right then. I was confused and a little irritated by his pushiness, especially when he wasn't clear about where we were even going or what we were going to do when we got there. He kept mentioning Cheyenne Mountain Resort, and how there were some nice areas there for potential photo shoots he thought we could scope out. While it still seemed random and weird, I went with it.

It wasn't until we drove into the parking lot and walked inside the resort that I was convinced something was up. Where, inside this resort, would I want to do a photo shoot? Come on! Not seconds after approaching the restaurant area just inside did I notice Neil looking around. That's when I knew what this was all about. So I asked, "So um, who are we meeting here?" Really, I was humoring him. I already knew the answer. Sure enough, sitting outside on the balcony overlooking Pikes Peak, was my wonderful brother, David! It turns out he had a music convention there at the resort that weekend - of all places! After the moment of surprise had passed, I learned that after the convention, he was planning to come hang out with us for a couple days! Double bonus!

We enjoyed a nice lunch (with a nice view), then headed home, leaving David behind to finish what he really came out to Colorado for. Sunday, when we got home from church, he headed over and we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of football and good company. The 49ers even won, which made the day that much better! David played his saxophone for Chloe, which she absolutely loved, and entertained her in other ways that only Uncle D is capable of doing! I wish I'd captured their music duets. They were priceless. Next time!! Monday, we had our traditional sushi date, and then just goofed around the rest of the day. I was sad to see him go Tuesday morning, but we made the most of our short time together. I'm so grateful for a brother who, despite his busy, crazy life, makes the time to come hang with his little sis when he can! Thanks again, David! And long live the Avalanche II roll!

Preschool!

Chloe started preschool September 8th. We divided last year's co-op group by ward, and welcomed 2 new additions, making a total of 5 kids. So far so good! Chloe's little pals include Abby, Ali, Scott and Ryan.

Here she is on her first day!

Proud mama with her little preschooler...

Since Miss Anna is expecting a baby very soon, she opted to teach the first two weeks. Here are the kids gathering around for circle time.

Chloe's been singing songs about the falling leaves and bringing home lots of fun Fall crafts. She's absorbing a ton, I can tell, but more importantly (at least at this point), she's learning structure and social skills. I am anticipating a great year! Yay for preschool!

Rock climbing at Red Rocks

September has been an eventful month, which explains the lack of blog posts. I am gradually getting my photos and updates organized, so be on the watch. For starters, here's what we did on Labor day!

Neil has loved rock climbing since high school. In the nearly 8 years I've known him, he's talked about how fun it would be for us to go together. And for the majority of those 8 years, I've been terrified of and unwilling to even consider it. Recently though, I decided that when the next opportunity presented itself, I needed to give it a shot once and for all! I didn't have to like it, but I did have to try it! And I DID! I know, Valeri and rock climbing? It's an anomaly!

This picture gives the illusion that I was up much higher than I actually was. Nice work, Neil!


Chloe gave it a try too, and did really well all things considered. She seemed to enjoy herself until she skinned her elbow on a rock. Then, well, that was the end of it!

She looks so pathetic in the second photo, it's adorable! That white blonde hair and red face - gotta love her.

Here's Neil waving hello from the top of a very difficult climb.

This was practically straight up. I still don't know how he did it.

Here's Chloe, pre-skinning of the elbow. Happy as can be and ready to climb a rock!


And my sweet Ryan... always smiley and mellow. He just sat and watched, kicking his legs with glee when he'd get particularly excited about something. Sure do love this boy.

So did I like rock climbing? Honestly? Ehh, it was okay. The repelling part was fun in a scary kind of way, but overall it just wasn't my thing. I'm still proud of myself for trying, and I think once Neil gets over the shock of my willingness, he will be too!

Soon...

...I will update this blog. I have been on overload with photos, and found very little free time to blog. Luckily tonight was my last shoot of the month, so once I get caught up on editing, I should actually be able to relax a little! It's been a crazy month to say the least! Here are some updates you have to look forward to:

- my first rock climbing experience (I know, pretty hard to imagine - don't worry, I have pictures to prove I did it)
- Chloe's first week of preschool
- Ryan's 10 month milestones
- house projects, which are now F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D!!!

I can't believe we're already halfway through September! Huh? I am loving Fall. The cooler days, the changing leaves, pumpkins in the grocery store, football, and so much more. Tomorrow I think I'll bake something with pumpkin. It's just that time of year! Love it. Updates coming soon!

Wordless Wednesday

Birthday wishes...

...to the newest member of the Andersen family! Happy Birthday, Courtney!

{May 6, 2009 - the day it became official}

I adore this girl, who I now call sister. Maybe part of it is subconscious because she reminds me so much of myself. Ha ha!

One thing that stands out to me about Courtney is her small acts of kindess. I remember last summer, after spending a week in Florida with Neil's extended family (and meeting Courtney for the first time), receiving from her a thank you card. While it was a simple act, it said a lot about the kind of person she was. Another thing I appreciate about Courtney is her directness. This southern girl is not afraid to say it like it is! I am especially impressed considering her age! I was about as timid as could be at 21! I feel a real connection to Courtney, and look forward to future years of growing closer.

Happy 21st! Gosh, you're young! If you were closer I'd bake you some chicken lasagna and a batch of chocolate chip free chocolate chip cookies! Have a fun day!

Brave little soul

My heart is breaking for a family in UT whom I've never even met. They live in my aunt's ward in Eagle Mountain and were recently faced with the ultimate trial of losing a child. 9 month old Lucas, after a 3 month battle with cancer, returned to his Father in Heaven last Wednesday night. Since June they've maintained a blog where they've documented Lucas' updates and progress. It's been tough to read, especially now that he's gone. I can't imagine what this has been like for Shannon to go from having a healthy child, to learning her days with him were limited, to then losing him and the reality of it all sinking in. No mother should have to endure such a nightmare. Ever!

While the Nelson's story is absolutely heartbreaking, it is also very inspiring. Even amidst the most difficult moments, Aaron and Shannon have remained strong, understanding and hopeful. Everyone has his weak moments, and I'm sure they have had their share too. But in reading their blog, you can just sense their genuine faith and hope that they will see Lucas again someday, and that this was all part of Heavenly Father's plan. My aunt Valeri said at Lucas' viewing, while everyone's intentions were to offer the family comfort, Aaron and Shannon were actually the ones offering the comfort. Can you even imagine?

This story has helped me recognize a whole new perspective. Life is truly so delicate and you really never know. I have found myself hugging Ryan a little tighter and rocking him a little longer. I've tried harder to find patience for Chloe, laugh off the small stuff and love even the most irritating quirks. My children drive me crazy some days, I won't lie. But when I look at the big picture and remind myself that these days, months... gosh, years! are going to slip away from me so quickly, I find that my children are dearer than ever. It's amazing how fast time is lost, and in the grand scheme of things, how this time on earth is really just a blink of an eye in comparison to the big picture.

The Nelson family has been heavily on my mind, and I'm sure many others'. With the funeral over and the dust settling, these coming days are bound to be the most difficult yet. Please keep this sweet family in your prayers. I'm sure they'll take all the prayers they can get.

HERE is a link to their blog.

Enjoying what's left of summer

Two Saturdays ago we spent the day with Lori, Brad and Courtney at Poudre River just outside Fort Collins. Here are some fun moments captured.

The water was freezing, but it didn't even phase Chloe. Must be that Andersen blood.

Ryan wasn't too fond of the water. Luckily there was plenty around to entertain him.

Apparently this butterfly liked the butterflies on Chloe's hat!

Notice the ring on Lori's finger! Can I get a dum dum du dum..?

Weeeeeeee!

Thanks for a fun Saturday, guys! It was great seeing you all. Wish we could have played longer.

Happy Birthday Wendy!

Special wishes to my favorite friend/cousin, Wendy!

Wish we could spend the day together making trouble.

Hope you're spoiled rotten and treated like a queen! You absolutely deserve it!

You are loved!

Happy Happy Birthday!

Randomness...

Here are a few random pictures. I still need to go through what I took at the Poudre River last weekend with Lori, Brad and Courtney. Soon enough.

Here's Ryan the other day during lunch. His smiles and giggles were just too precious not to capture.

I love how his whole face scrunches up when he smiles. Handsome boy.

Ryan can now stand on his own for 5-10 seconds. Scary. He's babbling lots, continuing to get into everything, and acquiring plenty of bumps and bruises in the process. He's 100% boy.

Last night we drove to Fox Run Park and let Chloe feed the ducks.

Things are busy around here, as usual. I'm taking tons and tons of pictures and gradually establishing a small business. Neil's getting ready to lay tile in bathroom 4 of 4. This will be an exciting milestone to reach because it will mean NO MORE HOUSE PROJECTS! Well, at least in this house. Chloe and Ryan are doing the same old things. Making us happy. And tired. Life is good.



I am so excited Fall is just around the corner. I LOVE Fall!

We are especially excited for this weekend. College football kickoff time! Geaux Tigers!

7 years ago today...

...I became Mrs. Andersen.



Talk about wonderful!

Happy Anniversary, Neil. I love you.

Signing Time

We have a deaf family in our ward with a few small children. To help accommodate and make these little ones feel welcome and included, we've started incorporating a 'Signing Moment' in Primary each Sunday, where the mom of this family teaches the primary children a new sign. We just started this last Sunday, but I can already tell it's going to be an awesome thing. The kids were totally into it, and I sensed unity in the Primary room as they all watched and learned.

In the process of tossing around this 'Signing Moment' idea, it's occurred to me that I should introduce sign language to Chloe and Ryan! I never did signing with Chloe because there wasn't a need for it. Obviously that's not the only reason to sign with your child, but it just didn't really occur to me. Chloe was so vocal early on and even when she wasn't speaking, we still communicated just fine.

Well, I decided this would be the perfect time to start with Ryan, and Chloe's always open to new things. So I borrowed a handful of 'Signing Time' dvds from my friend, Tina. In the few days we've had them, it's all Chloe's wanted to watch! She's already singing along with the songs and following the signs like a pro. And I'm starting to use some of the basics with Ryan, which he's bound to pick up on eventually.

ANYWAY! Aside from this fun new educational tool, I made an interesting and ironic discovery last night. Chloe had finished the 'Move and Groove' dvd, which has won her attention over any of the others, and the credits were rolling. I was reading to her and so neither of us were really paying attention. Neil apparently was because suddenly he said, "Hey, Valeri, this may interest you!" He then grabbed the remote and rewound it back to where the musicians were listed on the credits. You probably know where this is going. That's right. Under "Saxophone", David Halliday was listed. I had to chuckle. So all this time Chloe's been learnin' and groovin' to the music of her very own Uncle D! I love it. I immediately called David to tell him how cool he was!

So if you have any of these dvds, be listening for that saxophone! It's my big brother!

Happy Birthday a day late!

Happy Birthday, yesterday, to my dad-in-law, Dave!


{Brad & Courtney's wedding - May '09; with grandson, Ryan}

Sorry for the belated wish! I literally remembered it was your birthday as I was hopping into bed last night. Shame on me! We hope your special day was relaxing and enjoyable! Thank you for the warmth and kindness you continue to show all of us. You're a great father and grandfather, and because of you we are better people. XOXO.

The kids

Wow, have I been a blogging bum or what? Life has been busy, what can I say?

Better grab some popcorn. This is gonna be long!

RYAN is 9 months old! He had his check up last Monday and all is (mostly) well. This little guy must burn a lot of calories getting around because he has only gained 3 ounces since his 6 month check up! At 16 lbs., 9 oz. he falls into the 1st percentile for weight! Yes, you heard me right. 1%!!! And 28 inches in length puts him in the 40th percentile for height. He's a petite little guy to say the least. Despite Ryan's mobility most likely explaining the lack of weight gain, the pediatrician was mildly concerned and suggested I start supplementing with formula. :( I was not happy to hear this. I'll admit it. It's a total pride thing. Chloe never tasted an ounce of formula and I hoped I'd be able to say the same for Ryan. I realize though, that it really isn't a big deal. I am so fortunate to have been able to nurse both of my children without issues. I have plenty of friends who have yearned for that and for whatever reason haven't been able to, and my heart goes out to them. I'm STILL nursing Ryan and plan to for as long as I can, just throwing an extra bottle of formula into the mix as needed. He's doing great with table foods and jarred stuff. Still no teeth, but I'm expecting to see the first break through any day.









Ryan is drawn to destruction. It's as simple as that. I'll be surprised if his first word isn't "No!" with the number of times a day he hears it! His latest favorite thing would have to be the knobs on the receiver. He is constantly messing with them, which doesn't go over so well when big sister is watching her daily dose of 'Tom and Jerry'. When he sees a cupboard open, he races to it, and if there's time, will pull out everything within reach, then proceed to climb in! He's standing up against anything that will support him, and sometimes things that won't support him too. He's also putting anything and everything in his mouth! Appearance and texture don't matter. If it's within reach, it's gonna go in the mouth! The other day I found two of those plastic googly eyes in his diaper! They weren't just placed there - they were fully digested! How he managed to swallow those without choking is beyond me! He's also started walking on all fours with his bum in the air. He's a funny, sneaky, mischievous boy who keeps me very busy!





Not much has changed with CHLOE. She continues to make us crazy. She also makes us laugh A LOT, so I guess it all evens out.



Here are some of the funny things she's come up with lately:

"Daddy kicked my bum and it hurt! That's why I'm serious! I'm serious about that!"

"Is it hot? It's definitely hot! That hot's a little warm!"

"Um, excuse me. Um, Mommy, I love you and Ryan, but he's more spensive." (expensive)

"Can I try yours to see if it's slurpeeier than mine?" (referring to my slurpee)

"I'm just teasin' around!"

"Let's make it for a run!"

"Soup turns into poop!" {slight pause} "...AND lettuce!"

As you can see, she picks up on a lot of what we say and then tries to mimic us, even if it isn't in the right context. It's hilarious. Whenever I say "shoot" or "dangit", she'll say, "Did you just say...?" as if I repeated a forbidden word.

She has mastered the art of talking back. She always has to have the last word, and sometimes our arguments get pretty heated before I realize how ridiculous it is that we're even arguing at all! She just knows how to push the right buttons. She'll say stuff like, "Well if you're gonna blah blah blah, I'm not gonna be your friend anymore!", or "..."I'm not gonna share with you!" She's also said the famous phrase, "Life isn't fair!" Tonight she was mad at Neil and said, "We're not best friends anymore!" then ran to her room in tears.

I cannot get over how smart she is. She has a crazy good memory and will ask about the most random past times, sometimes things that go back as far as 18 months ago! She loves being read to more than she ever has, and is constantly bringing books to me and begging to sit on my lap while I read. One skill that's really caught my attention lately is her ability to recognize musical instruments! It isn't anything I went out of my way to teach her, she just knows them! We'll be in the car listening to something, and she'll out of the blue say, "Is that a violin?" - AND - 95% of the time, she's right! I have tested her knowledge and she has been able to pick out a piano, flute, violin, trumpet and saxophone (which she'll often refer to as, "what Uncle D plays" if she can't remember the word itself). Perhaps we have a little musician on our hands! I'm sure the Halliday side of the family wouldn't mind that!

Chloe passed swim lessons with flying colors! To say she loved them would be a huge understatement. When her last class ended I think I was just as sad as she was, for her sake. It was fun for her to have something to look forward to every day. Here are a couple pictures I got of her during the last week of lessons. We'll definitely be enrolling her in more classes come Fall.







One of my favorite things about Chloe is the overwhelming joy she finds in the simple things of life.



Ladybugs (or just about any bugs), a tiny flower (whether vibrant or wilted), or a new treat in the pantry are just a few examples. It's inspiring to me to watch her eyes get big and mouth open wide with a smile. She makes me want to enjoy the little things more and to not stress the big things as much. Her simple optimism and cheerful little voice make it so easy to feel happy, and to love her.

How could you not love this blue eyed blonde!

These two sweet kiddos of mine have so much fun together. Ryan is old enough now that he and Chloe can actually play together. He often wanders into her room looking for her, and they end up playing together for several minutes at a time, 100% entertained. It's so fulfilling witnessing the bond that is growing between my two children. They are sure to be best friends.

So that's the latest with these two cutie pies. Forgive me for being a bad blogger lately. Life has just been too busy! It seems I've had something going on every day for as long as I can think back! And the coming weeks aren't looking much better. Oh well. I suppose keeping busy keeps me out of trouble. :) Hope you're all well. More updates to come soon, including Neil's last house projects and my photography. Changed my photo blog address, by the way. Now it's http://www.valeriandersenphotography.blogspot.com/. Be watching it. I finished some senior pictures last Saturday and did some family portraits Sunday evening. Am hoping to get some of those posted by tomorrow night.

Hope you're all having a happy week!

Happy Birthday, Mama Susie!

Happy Birthday to a special someone I like to call Mama Susie! What a wonderful mom and grandma you are!

We couldn't ask for anything more!


{Brad & Courtney's wedding - May '09; with grandson, Grant}

If we could beam ourselves there for the day, you could take the kids to the pool while Neil played handy man at your house and I cooked you a big birthday dinner! Too bad I don't have the super powers to make that happen. Maybe by next year I'll have it figured out! :)

Have a wonderful day and know you are loved! XOXO.

Finally...

...updated my photography blog.



Take a look.

Crazy, amazing, exhausting, wonderful weekend!

Wow, what a weekend! My brother, David, who is a well known jazz saxophonist in the Salt Lake area, was invited to open for Diana Krall, renowned jazz singer and pianist, at Red Butte Gardens Friday night! He announced the exciting news Wednesday afternoon, and that same evening I decided to make the 9 hour drive to be there. Aside from the fact that I love Diana Krall (and have since her 2001 album, 'The Look of Love' came out), I just simply couldn't miss witnessing this opportunity of a lifetime for David. And so, Thursday evening after Chloe's swim lessons, we packed up the car and headed to Laramie, where we stayed the night with a friend of my brother's. Friday morning I got up way too early, hopped back on the road, watched the sun rise over the hills of Wyoming, and arrived in Salt Lake around 11:30. David and I met up and headed straight over to my parents', who had NO IDEA I was coming. Ah, just icing on the cake. The look of shock in their eyes was priceless. And wonderful. Not only did I just see them a few weeks ago, but my mom is coming to Colorado Springs next week. So never in a million years were they expecting this!

I hung around with my parents for a couple hours while David did whatever he needed to do, then at 4:00 he picked Ryan and me up and the three of us headed to Red Butte for his sound check. As we were pulling in we saw Diana Krall's tour bus with a lovely Mercedes SUV parked right in front of it. While David and guitarist, Kenji Aihara, got ready for their sound check, Ryan and I explored the garden, which was beautiful, then sat down at the back of the stage and watched on as the stage crew got things set up, tuned the piano Diana would be playing, and got everything else squared away. I kept waiting for someone to tell me to get off the stage, but even with a few funny looks, no one said a word to me. I soooo wanted to have my camera out and snapping shots of anything and everything, but they didn't allow cameras, and I was afraid if I got mine out early on, I wouldn't have a chance to sneak in a couple shots during the actual performance.

Here's one that David got from basically where I was sitting.


Around 5:30, David, Ryan and I headed up to the catering tent for a fabulous dinner. I felt like quite the VIP. We kept waiting and hoping for Diana to wander in, but we knew it wasn't likely. And we were right. We did, however, meet one of her producers.

Doors opened at 6, and shortly thereafter Ryan and I were settled on a blanket in the front row, only 20 or so feet from stage, along with my parents and some family friends.

Here are the boys, ready to bring it!


At 7:00, David and Kenji opened. And might I add they sounded absolutely amazing?! They captured the audience instantly and really set the mood for the night. They were so compatible and well-synchronized. They just killed it! That's all there is to it.



I know David's my brother, so of course I think he's all that, but it had been quite a while since I'd heard him play and he really truly just blew me away! I was so SO proud of him. And I wasn't the only one whose heart he stole! He and Kenji received a standing ovation, and after their performance, people were practically swarming us with "Where does David play regularly?", "Does he have an album out and where can I buy it?", etc., etc. I was so honored!

Here's how Ryan kept himself occupied between performances...



THEN...

At 8:00, Diana Krall was announced and came out to stage with her band (Anthony Wilson - guitar, Jeff Hamilton - drums, and Robert Hurst - bass). Her presence alone gave me chills. She was so beautiful, confident and calm. She sat right down at the piano and without hesitation, began playing. Wow. I couldn't believe I was sitting just a matter of feet from her. It was an experience.







What was an even greater experience, however, was something she did about halfway through her performance. I had noticed her glancing in my direction a few times, but didn't think much of it. Well, after finishing a song and once again looking my way, she nonchalantly said something along the lines of, "I can't stop looking back at that mother rocking her sweet baby..." It took me a good five seconds to realize she was referring to me and not someone else! But it didn't end there! THEN! She proceeded to play a soft lullaby on the piano as prelude to her next song, "I'll String Along With You" (which is most likely playing right now, or will be starting momentarily - turn up the volume). It all happened so fast, that in some ways it's just a blur. But wow! Of all the thousands of people in the audience, Ryan and I were the ones that caught her eye. I was blown away. That song, which I already adored, holds a whole new meaning now. And how wonderful it will be to tell my son years from now, that when he was 9 months old, Diana Krall played him a lullaby?! Ironically, Ryan was due on her birthday. So really, their connections go back further than Friday night. :)

I love this one. Diana's glowing like an angel. Great shot, David.


It was an amazing night. Diana Krall rocked the house, and I love her more now than ever. She talked quite a bit between songs, which gave the audience a chance to get to know her a little. I learned that she has 2 1/2 year old twin boys, which of course made her all the more endearing to me (and probably everyone else too). It also became obvious in her talking that she values family. I was really touched by that, because so many celebrities nowadays just don't! She seemed very down to earth.

Here she is with her sons: Frank and Dexter. They were born December 6, 2006, which happened to be her and Elvis Costello's 3rd wedding anniversary. Love it.


This is the one decent shot I got of the band (David took all the others).

Sometimes having a big bulky camera is a disadvantage. I was approached by a security guard twice about having it out. He hee. Thank goodness David had his little point and shoot he could sneak some good shots with.

Neither David or I got to meet Diana in person (I was especially bummed for David's sake), however after the show, as we were loading his car, we noticed the rest of the band sitting in the van just a few feet away. David went and introduced himself to the guys, and I followed. I wasn't going to shy away from this opportunity. I had Ryan with me, which I'm sure helped. They were nice guys.

I slept good and hard that night. I was SO exhausted. And luckily, the kids slept well too. Ryan slept 6 hours straight, which is unheard of for him. We got up at 9:45am Saturday, and Chloe slept in until 11! Wow.

Saturday was just relaxing and low key. My mom took me early birthday shopping, we had lunch at Cafe Rio, and just goofed around. Here are some shots of Grandpa and Grandma with the kiddies.

Ironically enough, the matching shirts were NOT planned.

I brought this shirt for Ryan to wear to the concert, but because it was SO HOT Friday, I ended up putting him in something a little lighter. Then my dad shows up to the concert wearing practically the same shirt. So anyway, I put Ryan in it on Saturday and my dad put his shirt back on so we could get some pictures of the matching men.

I looooove this one.


Grandma and her girl (the pink hat was per the request of Miss Chloe).


Looks like Chloe's casting a spell on her brother. Poor kid.




Saturday came and went too quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to pack the car up again and prepare for another long drive. We headed out Sunday morning at 4:50am. Ugh.

While every moment of insanity and exhaustion was worth this trip, I will never drive 18 hours in a 48 hour period again! :)

Here's Sunday's sun rise. Approximately 6:20am. Beautiful, isn't it?

A perfect ending to a perfect trip...

Thanks again, David, for this wonderful memory. I'm proud of you on so many levels, and I love you.

Happy Birthday Allison!

Happy Birthday to Allison!


This is one of my favorite pictures. It was taken Christmas of 2007, when we spent the Holidays with Allison and Jeff in California. Look how little Chloe is!

Allison, I hope today is memorable and fun. Please know we're thinking of you and wishing we were there to join you in celebration. Happy HAPPY Birthday!

Summer

Here's a glimpse of our summer.

We've taken lots of evening strolls around the block...


Stopping to smell the flowers, of course...


We've swung at the park...

Well, some of us have swung while others have simply watched on...


We've played on the banzai slide at Celestia's house...

Helped Mommy out with various "Mommy" tasks...


And made plenty of mischief too (as if THIS and THIS wasn't enough)...
"What? Jello can't be so bad to clean up, Mom!"

At least he's showing a little remorse in this one.


We've built a shed...

Well, started one anyway. All that's left now is paint and a door! Good job, Neil! You're amazing!


Made some jam...


Rearranged a certain little Princess' bedroom...


Received loves from Grandma Jill

(and plenty of others during our 4th of July Utah trip ...still need to post about that...)


And just sorta played around...


Most recently, we've started swim lessons...

And, obviously, had the time of our lives!

BOO!

It's been a fun and full summer, as you can see! Wow, I'm tired now.

Picture This...

It's official! My photography blog is up and running! Check it out HERE.

My mischief boy

Ryan refused to take a morning nap.

Instead, he screamed in his crib for 45 minutes before I finally gave in and rescued him.

Upon entering his room I was startled to find a naked boy sitting in one corner of the crib,

and a diaper sitting in the other.

Seriously?

Ryan figured out how to take his diaper off? Seriously?

Despite my shock and slight annoyance, I was relieved to find no wet spots anywhere (or worse). Then, because I'm me, I decided to grab the camera. After all, this was quite a monumental moment in this boy's first year of life, and what kind of mother would I be not to capture it?

I raced to the office then back to his room, crossing my fingers the whole time that he hadn't peed.

Naturally, as I was ready to take a picture, he did just that.

Lovely.

He was quite pleased with himself, as if you can't tell.

Suddenly duct tape has a whole new meaning.

Long time no see!

This evening Neil and I headed to Denver to meet up with my childhood friend, Char, and her little family. They are visiting her sister-in-law, who lives just West of Denver, in Lakewood. We drove about equal distances to meet up, and enjoyed a nice visit over a good meal! I honestly can't remember the last time I saw Char, but I know it's been at least 9 years.


Funny what that kind of time can do to you! Here we are with, between the two of us, 5 kids!

{Her Lyndie and my Ryan are 3 months apart.}

Char will always be special to me, and she knows why. It was great to see her and catch up for a couple hours. Hopefully another decade doesn't pass before our paths cross again.

Already?

Has this "into everything" stage really begun? I thought I had at least 2 more months to prepare!

(Notice he's dipping the toilet paper into the toilet. Because pulling it off the roll isn't entertaining enough?)

In case you're wondering why Ryan isn't wearing bottoms or why his onesie isn't snapped, let's just say changing this boy's diaper is close to impossible these days. I'm lucky to get a diaper on him let alone pants, before he's wiggled out of my hands and taken off. Some days he just looks like this! And it's perfectly fine by me!



Apparently the toilet paper lost it's thrill. And now he's off... to bigger and better things!

Baby Grant

Look what I got to photograph today. My first newborn.

6 days old. Could he be more precious?

{I was going to save these for my photography blog, which is in the works, but I simply couldn't resist. Hoping to have the blog up and running by this weekend. You'll see more from this session there. Stay tuned.}

Summer fun

I know I've been a blogging slacker. There just isn't enough time in the day. Here's a quick update and some pictures.

Ryan is now crawling. No more army crawl for this boy. He picked it up during our Utah trip and has been gaining speed every day since! He often crawls into little corners and cubbies only to realize he doesn't know how to get himself out.

"Would ya put the silly camera down and help me already?"

He's also pulling himself up on EVERYTHING! And oh, is he proud?


He's eating more and more table food. Saturday, in an attempt to keep him content, Ryan enjoyed his first oreo. What do you think? Did he like it?

And here he is last night after his dinner. I love how he squints his little nose.


Between the drool, all the chewing and recent fussiness, I suspect tooth #1 will be breaking through any day!

Here are some pictures I got of the kids yesterday. Thank goodness for friends with access to swimming pools. Thanks again, Melanie!

I still need to post about our 4th of July weekend in Salt Lake, among other things. Soon!! Hope you're all having a fun-filled summer!

Flashback Friday

My little ham at 16 months! Love this girl.

Chloe & Chase

Just got home last night from celebrating the 4th with family in Utah. It was crazy as always, but wonderfully memorable too. I have no business being on here right now with all I'm trying to catch up on, but just had to quickly post this very precious picture. Could these two be any more adorable? My very best friend, Wendy, who also happens to be my cousin had this sweet little guy, Chase just 16 days before I had my Chloe. As if there weren't enough parallels in our lives already, there we go having our firstborns just 2 weeks apart! Amazing. As you can see, Chloe and Chase are quite fond of each other. They were darling chasing each around Sugar House Park.



I will post more pictures from our trip when I get the chance, so stay tuned! Hope you all had a great 4th!

Mish mash: Part 2

Didn't plan to take this much time to compile Part 2 of the Mish Mash series. Oh well. It was a BUSY weekend, and I had zero free time. So here I am now. This post is primarily about Chloe. Not that she's changed too much since the last Chloe post. Her obsession with being a grown up, married, and a mom so that people can't tell her what to do anymore continues to blossom. She's such a funny girl.

Friday evening as we were driving home, she and I had the following conversation:
Chloe: "Am I gonna be a mom?"
Me: "Someday you will be."
- pause -
Chloe: "And then I'll have really big boobs?"
Couldn't tell ya what I said next, as Neil and I were too busy laughing.
Where does she come up with this stuff?

Then Thursday as Chloe pranced around in her white princess dress and pink crown, she said,
"I'm dancin' with Uncle D 'cause he's my husband today!"

....Versus yesterday when someone else was her husband??

Lately she's been asking me to turn on a cd of classical music so that she can then dance around the living room. Today as she approached me, she explained that we were going to the temple so she could get married and dance with Bert, her new husband. Bert is a character in Mary Poppins, whom Chloe adores.

The other night it was a similar story. She was pretending to be Mary, Jesus' mom. She put a kitchen towel on her head and then her crown over the top of that, as if to look like Mary. When we asked who she was going to marry, she looked at us like we were stupid and said, "Joseph!" Good to know she's got her Biblical figures straight!



Chloe can spell her name out loud and write it out without assistance. She's also got Neil's name down, and is beginning to memorize Ryan's and mine. She's constantly asking, "Does ___ start with the letter _? More often than not, she's right. She's also becoming quite the artist too. Her pictures are more detailed than I would expect for her age, though I may be slightly biased. She draws spiders, suns, moons, rainbows, people and most recently, animals. Here she is last week, drawing a bunny.



Okay, funny story. The other day she somehow got a hold of the Valentine's card I gave Neil this year. Not to get too detailed, but let's just say the card was a little on the provocative side. Nothing visual - it just had a playful saying. That's all. :) Anyhoo, Chloe somehow found it, proceeded to write her name in it, place it back in the envelope, and hand it back to Neil, saying, "Here Daddy! This is for you!" Her innocence at having not a clue what the card said is obviously what made this story so hilarious. And until Neil opened the card, he thought it really was from Chloe. Oh, if she only knew...

To say this girl is a social butterfly would be a HUGE understatement! She is constantly greeting complete strangers whenever we're in public. I don't think we pass a single person ANYWHERE without her saying something to them. And regardless of whether or not they acknowledge her, she'll just keep talking to them! If they say "Hi" back, she proceeds to ask them a question, or two, ...or three. If they ignore her or don't realize she's talking to them, she'll just keep saying "Hi!" louder and LOUDER until she's gotten their attention. I shouldn't be embarrassed, but often I am. I just don't understand why she has to talk to every single person she happens to see. Last night we were at the park and she walked right up to a man and asked, "Do you have a bathroom at your house?" After his response of, "Well, yes I do!" followed by a hearty chuckle, she informed him that we have 5 bathrooms at our house (which we don't, by the way). Some other commonly asked questions include, "What's your name?", "How old are you?" (everyone's personal favorite), "Are you a mom (or dad)?" and "Do you have kids?" Luckily most people flatter her just as enthusiastically as she approached them. And while I'll admit I'm glad she's friendly and social overall, sometimes I wish, for once, that I could just go to Walmart without having to converse with the entire store!

She continues to love her brother. We are constantly telling her to put him down, as she'll just drag him all over the place otherwise. He's a good sport, and remains good natured most of the time. And now that he's on the go, it's difficult to know how he got somewhere - whether it was his own doing or his sister's!





This was taken last week while the kiddos played in Chloe's room. Notice Chloe in her crown and princess dress. Might I add she was wearing her princess shoes too! If I ever gave her the option of wearing this attire to bed, she'd do it in a heart beat! Such a sophisticated little princess my Chloebug is!

Flashback Friday

Here we are in our first apartment just days before tying the knot.

Neil is sitting on 3 boxes containing his belongings.



{mid-August 2002. Provo, UT. Photos by Mama Jill.}



So in love. So excited for our future together. Awww. Has it really been 7 years?

Keep scrolling...

4 new posts below. So keep scrolling. And stay tuned for more updates tomorrow!

Mish mash: Part 1

Wow, it's been a while! I think this is the longest stretch I've gone without blogging (before the 3 previous posts). I wish I had more time to devote to it. Life is just busy, that's all there is to it. Some days I can't even find the time to shower let alone blog! I love my life though, sticky floors and all. Since I don't have the energy to write a full update on the mish mash of recent happenings, I'm going to do it in parts.

Part 1: Ryan

Friday marked quite a milestone for this boy. Yep, Ryan's officially mobile. He'd been scooting around a little here and a little there, but nothing of significance. That is, until Friday, when the light bulb went on and he realized he could get places. He still hasn't mastered the traditional crawl yet. He has no trouble getting on all fours, but when it comes to actually moving, he plops right back onto his stomach and slithers across the floor until he's reached his destination. It's pretty entertaining to watch, especially considering his fast speed.

The other morning I went to get him out of his crib and was astonished to find him kneeling against and holding onto the railing, glancing over the edge of his crib. If he'd leaned forward any further he easily could have flipped out! Yeah, just a little scary. The stinker! He just keeps surprising us with new things! The picture below was taken after the fact, when he'd lowered himself back down. Still, you get the idea.



Ryan is getting to be a better eater, enjoying a variety of foods. He's more willing to eat the jarred stuff than he used to be (really just in the last week), but still prefers table food. Smart boy! Yesterday I was eating left over Parmesan chicken. He was sitting in the booster next to me and quickly made it known that he wanted to try some. No sooner was he was out of his booster than he had successfully grabbed a handful of noodles off my plate. Between that and an occasional lick of spaghetti sauce, Ryan was in heaven. Today he's refused jarred food all together! Go figure.


"Oops!"


"You didn't see that, did you?"


"Well, I guess there's only one way to clean up this mess. Veggie puff, anyone?"

Ryan's quickly becoming vocal. He makes lots of screeching, grunting and growling sounds and seems quite pleased with himself. In the last couple days, he's discovered "baa" and has repeated it frequently ever since. Another fun discovery is the 'If I drop something, Mommy will pick it up' game. Lucky me.



So that's the latest with our sweet boy!

Happy belated Birthday, Lori!

Special (and late) wishes to Lori Jean, who celebrated her birthday Friday, the 19th!

I still remember receiving my first birthday card from Lori back in 2002, just days before Neil and I were married. In it she expressed happiness at finally having a sister, since she'd grown up with 3 brothers! I remember feeling the exact same way, as I'd too only known life with a brother. She was so friendly and accepting even having never met me. And to this day she has never been anything but kind and giving. We have had some special moments, and I am so grateful that she is in my life.

Lori, I'm sorry this birthday wish is late. But I hope your day was wonderful. Love you lots.

Kozy Kreations

I just wanted to give a shout out to my friend, Carrie who recently started her own business: Kozy Kreations. She's been making baby blankets for months, but recently added to her "kreations" these darling aprons!

They come in child and adult (both male and female) sizes. These aprons would make a great gift for any little girl, or even a matching mother/daughter set. Check out Carrie's blog for pattern options and pricing. She does an excellent job, and deserves a big pat on the back!

Since receiving her apron, Chloe had demanded to wear it almost constantly.

She LOVES it, as if it isn't perfectly obvious...






{Rolling pin and 3 year old, not included}

Here is the blanket Carrie sent me when Ryan was born. The back side is blue.

It's one of my favorites of his blankets.

Way to go, Carrie! Keep up those kozy kreations of yours!

Recipe of the Week: Summer Chicken Salad

I know, it's been forever since I blogged. And now here I am posting a recipe. That's about as impersonal and far away from an update as you can get! So shooot me. But before you do, give this chicken salad a try. I'll post more later, I promise. Neil's on business until Thursday, so I should have a little more ME time in the evenings to get this baby caught up (and Carrie, that includes a post about you).

In honor of a new season, here's a light and simple summer dish.

First, you want to grill some chicken, preferably the night before so that the chicken is chilled by the time you get to the salad. If you have a favorite marinade, great! Use it! I like to try new things, and last night I threw this marinade together. Quantities are simply estimates, as I rarely measure:

• 2-3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 c. bbq sauce
• 1/3 c. orange marmalade
• 1/4 c. honey

Depending on size, slice each chicken breast into 2-3 large chunks. Combine bbq sauce, marmalade and honey in casserole dish. Add chicken chunks and coat evenly. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer, allowing chicken to soak up the flavors. Grill chicken, eat and enjoy, reserving enough to last yourself another meal or two.

Now we get to the really good part. This is what I had for lunch today.

Ingredients (quantities according to personal preference):

• left over chicken, chilled and thinly sliced
• lettuce - I prefer butter aka bib lettuce. If you're local, Sunflower Farmer's Market sells it for $.77 a head.
• avocado, thinly sliced
• mandarin oranges
• craisins
• some other favorite toppings: strawberries, blueberries, goat cheese, almonds, pine nuts, or anything else that sounds good to you
• salad dressing (I prefer classic Italian)

Combine ingredients, and enjoy! Simple? Yes. Original? Well, sort of. Yummy? Absolutely.

Happy Summer, everyone!

7 months

Ryan was acting so darn cute the other day, that I just had to grab the camera.

I know, so out of character for me! :) Here's some of what I captured.


"Hi there!"

"Wait a second. Something isn't right here."

"I'll find that arm if it takes me all day!"


"Well I don't think it's very funny!"


Ready...


Set...


"On second thought, I think I'll just lay here."






So sweet.

This last week he's started lifting his little arms in the air when he wants to be held. He's also started waving on command. Goodness, he melts a mama's heart. Love this boy! Could he really be 7 months?

Flashback Friday

Since this picture was taken 10 years ago TODAY, I found it fitting for this week's 'Flashback Friday'.

Vacaville High School graduation
June 12, 1999

GO BULLDOGS!

Beethovens in the making

All right, Grandpa Roy and Grandma Jill - this one's for you!

Chloe was banging around on the piano as I was getting Ryan up from his nap this afternoon. Seeming more captivated than usual by the pings and pangs of the keys, I decided it was time for Ryan to give the piano a try. So I plopped him on the bench next to Chloe and away they went!









By the way, Mr. cute, smiley Beethoven boy is 7 months old today!

Recipe of the Week: What's for Breakfast?

I've been on a muffin kick lately. And when I get on a muffin kick, there is only one recipe I turn to for satisfaction! The first time I made these I knew it wouldn't be my last. They were devoured in a matter of minutes and Chloe asks for them ALL THE TIME! Here is the original recipe. It has over 3,800 reviews and averages 5 stars. There, is that convincing? Enjoy.



Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 c. white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 c. butter, melted
• 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 T. all-purpose flour
• 1/8 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 T. butter

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 c. flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another large bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour miture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 T. flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 T butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 16-20 minutes.

My own two cents:
When I make a batch, I only bake however many we'll eat that same day (storing the remaining batter in the refridgerator) until it's all been used up. Muffins just aren't as good left over. The topping especially loses that perfect crunch and just becomes mush. The recipe says 10 muffins, but I can usually get 16. The last time I made these I used the mini muffin tins and will probably be doing that from here on out! They just tasted better that way for some reason.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

And because I'm feeling generous, here's another yummy recipe that also falls into the 'Breakfast' category. Our friends, Dan and Stef introduced this to us a couple years ago during a Conference weekend, and it has since become a Conference weekend tradition. I'm not too fond of eggs, but I LOVE this stuff! Perfect variety of flavors and textures. It's pretty too!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 loaf French bread, cubed
• 1 1/2 c. cubed ham
• 1 c. bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c. green onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 8 eggs
• 2 1/3 c. milk
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper

Instructions:
In a greased 9x13 inch pan, layer bread, ham, peppers and onion. Cover with half of cheese mixture. Repeat once more. In large bowl, combine eggs. Whisk in milk, salt and pepper. Pour over layers in pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cook at 350 for 55-60 minutes. Cut and serve!

Wordless Wednesday

Chloe, Chloe, Chloe...

My imaginative "princess", "mom", and "vallerina",

whose actions are always justified by whatever "role" she's playing...

My sassy spitfire, who knows all the tricks to getting my blood boiling...

My chatterbox, whose mouth never stops...

My nurturer, who loves to "take care of" her brother,

even when he sometimes doesn't want to be taken care of...

My 3 1/2 going on 16 year old...

My sweet, lovable sunshine girl...

...without whom life just wouldn't be the same.

Here's the latest from the mouth of this darling girl:

"You have to put that on my bed before you get married in a white dress because I'm your mom!" (referring to a pile of freshly folded laundry) - yes, she's still on the "I'm a mom" kick.

"In a second I'm gonna be a mom tomorrow!" - see?

"When I burp at the table, I say 'Excuse me, Mom. I burped at the table!'"

"Do you like crabs on ya? Do you like 'em to pinch your hair?"

After handing Chloe a Kraft single, "Good job for buying these! I'm so happy I have them!"

"So are ya kinda sad I'm not there?" (to Grandma over the phone)

Chloe: “Can I have a string cheese?”
Neil: “No Chloe, you can’t have anything until you finish your cereal!”
Chloe: “But I’m not hungry!”

“If you go near him again you’re gonna get especially a spanking!” (to Neil regarding Ryan)

{I thought this photo was fitting given the last quote}

Valeri: "Chloe do you need to go potty?"
Chloe: "No, I'm just walkin' all over the place!"

“Purple and white are my favorite colors. That’s why I better don’t eat these!”

“I’m sad a little bit that I don’t get ta see ya anymore!” (to Grandma over the phone)

“Mom, why don’t you go away from this house now.”

"Look! It's a box in a jacks!" (referring to Jack in the Box)

Valeri: "Chloe, is it raining?"
Chloe: "No, it's dripping!"

“elegators” (elevators) and “spastacio” (pistachio)

Sunday we had a, well, I'll just say memorable moment. After finishing her lunch, Chloe asked for a piece of leftover cake. As I proceeded to slice a small piece off one end of the cake, Chloe, who up to this point had been cheerful and sweet, suddenly exploded into a rage, and while jumping up and down in tears, screamed that she wanted a piece from the OTHER end of the cake! How dare I offer her the side that was only 80% saturated in sugary frosting! Gosh! Thinking she'd quickly get over it, I slid the piece onto a plate and placed it in front of her. BIG MISTAKE! Her hateful glare said it all, not to mention what she did next. That's right. Without hesitation, she grabbed the cake off her plate and chucked it across the room! I'll admit, she had pretty good aim - hitting the chair across the table, the slide glass door, curtains, and even still managing to get some distance on the floor! I can still see it all in slow motion.

Now she's thrown some pretty impressive tantrums, but I've never seen anything like this! Naturally she spent the next several minutes in time out. And yet even after a lengthy discussion about why she was there and what was going to happen if she ever did anything like that again, she still had the nerve to ask me,
"Can I have more cake?"

Neil and I have recently tried to be better about explaining why certain things aren't okay, rather than just constantly saying, "No, don't do that!" or "That's not okay!" Lately Chloe's been asking, "Does Jesus like it when I...?" I've loved the opportunity to explain small yet useful lessons to her, and only hope at least half of it sticks. These days I feel like quite the broken record, so sometimes it's hard to tell.

Chloe can write her name, can draw a decent stick figure of a person, and loves drawing other various things (spiders, rainbows, flowers, etc). She loves being read to, and is constantly stopping me to ask a question. She's absorbing so much, it scares me!

Can't believe she's 3 1/2! Where, oh where do the days go?

New calling

Our ward split a few Sundays ago, and with that, big changes took place. A new Bishopric, new presidencies, etc. Sunday I was sustained as 2nd counselor in the Primary presidency. As much as I love and will miss Relief Society, I am truly thrilled to have received this call. It will be a bit of an adjustment for Chloe, especially since she already sometimes struggles in Sharing time. But we'll overcome the little humps. I am really looking forward to the challenges, blessings and opportunities for growth this calling is sure to bring.

So that's my big news! Wish me luck!

Recipe of the Week: Chicken Parmesan with creamy tomato basil

Here's a pasta dish I recently tried out. It was a hit, and I'll definitely make it again. I found this on My Fabulous Recipes, a food blog I stumbled upon a few weeks ago, and have since become slightly addicted to. The original recipe can be found here. Or here's my own adaptation.

Ingredients:

• Your favorite pasta noodles (we love angel hair in this house)
• 1 lb. chicken breasts, pounded 1/4 inch thick, then cut in half (I basically cut them to the size of large chicken tenders)
• 1/2 c. flour
• 3 large eggs
• 2 c. panko (Asian bread crumbs)
• 2 t. seasoned salt
• 2 t. parsley flakes
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive or canola oil
• Creamy tomato basil sauce, below

Instructions:

You'll need 3 shallow bowls (I used pie dishes): 1 for the eggs (beaten), 1 for the flour, and 1 for the panko. Mix seasoned salt, parsley flakes, and parmesan cheese with panko.

Dredge chicken in flour. Shake off excess. Transfer to eggs, then onto panko mixture for an even coat. In a large skillet (I use my electric skillet), heat enough oil to create a very shallow layer on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, place the breaded chicken in the skillet and cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.

Ingredients for Creamy tomato basil sauce:

• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 - 1 t. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (I used 1 can and chopped them up a bit)
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. dry red wine (optional - I didn't have any on hand)
• 1 t. white sugar
• 1/3 c. fresh chopped basil
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese (here's a substitution: 16 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 c. sour cream, 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream - if I remember right, cutting this in half came to about 2/3 c.)

Instructions for sauce:

First, start your pasta, following package instructions.

In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes until carmelized, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red wine (if desired), and sugar, and cook another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil, salt, and black pepper, and simmer, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the mascarpone cheese, until sauce becomes creamy. Pour over pasta and chicken and enjoy!

My own two cents:

The pasta absorbed the sauce pretty fast, so when I heated up leftovers, I added half and half to thin it out, and to make it go further. Next time I'll probably double the sauce recipe portion, and still add just a touch of half and half or whipping cream. Maybe I should have used the second can of tomatoes. That just seemed like a lot to me.

I wasn't sure about the panko, considering it's Asian and this is an Italian dish. But it was really good, and I'll absolutely use it again. I bought a box at Safeway for $1.79. It had a crunchier consistency than traditional bread crumbs and as a result, made getting a decent coat over the chicken much easier.

Ryan is 6 months!

WARNING: This post contains nudity. If you consider bare baby bums to be offensive, exit this blog immediately! And seriously, get a life!

Ryan had his 6 month check up yesterday. He's my long lean boy, still with plenty of chunks! Here are his current stats:

16 lbs., 6 oz. (31st percentile)
27 inches (75th percentile)

And here are some of the things that have been occupying his time:

He's been sitting stably for a couple weeks now. It's great plopping him on the floor with a toy and walking away, knowing he'll be perfectly fine. He especially enjoys sitting in front of the mirror in our bedroom, where he can admire his reflection. He gets quite a kick out of himself. Who wouldn't starring at such a handsome face?

What a little ham!

He's slowly becoming mobile. When I lay him on his back, he immediately rolls onto his stomach, then straightens his arms, ultimately lifting his top half off the floor. Now if he could just figure out what to do with those legs, he'd be taking off! He has started to do the backwards army crawl, and also rotates around in a circle over and over again, but hasn't yet grasped traditional crawling. I'd be willing to bet that within 2 weeks the safety gate finds a permanent home at the top of the stairs.

Ryan is still a horrible sleeper! Early to bed, early to rise with lots of wakings in between is his philosophy. Drives me crazy. I've tried everything I know to try. Feeding him solids just before bed, laying him down when he's still awake, letting him cry it out at night, etc. Naps aren't much better. Rarely does he sleep for more than 45 minutes to an hour at a time. Stubborn boy. Good thing I love him so much!



He's started mumbling some with the "goos" and "gaas", but mainly just squeals and coos still. He has the sweetest temperament, and loves to just sit back and observe the action most of the time. I'm learning he is very responsive to music. Often when he's fussing, I'll start to sing and almost immediately he will stop fussing. Sunday when Neil and I subbed in Primary, Ryan hardly took his eyes off Anna, who lead singing time.

If you smile at Ryan, he'll smile right back, guaranteed. He's my friendly, social, sweet SWEET boy.

Not sure where the last 6 months went. Hopefully the next 6 give me at least a few moments to breathe and enjoy this baby before he's not one anymore!