childrens parade and beautiful lizzy...

So our stake primary activity this summer was marching in the Freedom Festival Children's Parade together. Holy smokes it was HOT! It's no wonder the Schofields don't really do the parade thing. The kids had a great time, and I survived...as long as I was being misted. Prep for the beach, right? I really do love my ward, so it was fun to hang out with all of them...but you know what...I really don't like to be hot. I really, really don't. The last picture is of Lizzy...just because I thought she looked beautiful on Saturday.

* I am LOVING Emily and Ethan in that group shot...faces mashed together, helmets all lop-sided. :)

we did it...

We got the picture. OK...so the shooting in the mirror thing is a bit tricky. By the end, I just handed the camera to John our sales associate and he took them for us. This is Carrie and I. What we look like now. After 4 kids each, a decade of marriage each, 16 years after we met. We went out for Thai food, then rather than a movie, Carrie wanted to get us matching bags for my birthday. We bag shopped at the mall for over an hour...and it was SO fun. We laughed a lot. The brown bag in the last 2 pictures is what we finished with. Is that the coolest present idea EVER? I told her we now need to do a whole separate bag blog...the life of the brown bag. She can do posts from all over Mexico, and I can do them from Delaware and Utah, and Utah, oh...and Utah. Wouldn't it be fun to see where these bags go? And by the way...I cried...but only a little bit. :)

he's home...

EARLY! Yay! We missed our daddy so much this week. He's been gone at scout camp since monday am at 7. I have been dreading this all summer. Really, really dreading it. I DO NOT like to be home alone. I get worried and anxious. I hear too much. I panic. Guess what though...I survived. And here are some things I learned:

Alex spent 5 days as the man of the house. Molly even called him Dad half the time. He told me the first morning...Mom, this is really hard. Being the man of the house. I wish Daddy would have walked me through it a little before he left. :) Alex was awesome. He really made me feel more comfortable. He helped me. I have great kids.

I had Dave give me a blessing before he left. One that told me not to be scared. One that told me we would be protected. HE would be protected. I still worried a little though. I called my dear neighbor Leonard and asked him if I could have him on speed dial at night just in case. Like a good father should...he told me SURE, then told me I needed to trust the Lord. I had prayed, now I needed to have faith. Michelle reminded me of the same thing. Dave was serving the Lord...the Lord would watch over me and my kids.

I have great friends. THE BEST. I had phone calls all week, offers to watch my kids, people coming to hang out with me at night. It actually makes me cry thinking about it. I love them. They knew I was worried and they watched over me. Thank you.

I CAN do it. I rely on Dave too much for simple things. By the time he gets home from work at the end of the day...I pass the baton and check out. With noone to pass it to, I had to do it all, and I realized that I am capable. I had more patience with my kids than I thought I would. More energy. More confidence. More peace.

We actually had a great week...but man, am I glad he's home a bit early. We love him and have really missed him.

something special...

I have something really special that I want to share with you. REALLY special. I have been eating this frogeye salad all week. When I say all week, I mean it. I run out, I head to the store for more ingredients. I've had many frogeye salads in my day...I love them all. I wouldn't have touched them with a long, long pole when I was younger. Pasta with fruit...bleck. But this...this is special. So special, you can only find the recipe on the Western Family Acine de Pepe box. Who would ever think to look there? Not me, actually. I was told to by my sister-in-law's mom. I am now going to share it with you. After I do, you may want to head to the store for some supplies!

6 ounces Acine de Pepe, cooked, drained and cooled

8 oz vanilla yogurt

12 oz Cool Whip (just as tasty w/fat free)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, undrained

1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 c mini-marshmallows (or slightly more)

1 medium banana, sliced

1 c red seedless grapes, halved

In large bowl, combine yogurt, cool whip, and cinnamon. Carefully add next 5 ingredients and pasta, blending to coat. Refrigerate to chill. Gently stir before serving.

*I usually omit the bananas, not really sure why...it's pretty darn good with them, and once in awhile I'll add sliced strawberries. The berries brown and wilt though, so you'd have to eat it right away. That should NOT be a problem though. :)

*OK...so it's not a gorgeous salad, but it sure tastes good. Borrowed a leaf from my neighbors grapevine for a little green. AND blogger keeps flipping my picture. Should be horizontal, in case you wondered.

sprinklers and murals...

I love my ward's Mom & Me group. I love it. The kids always have a great time together in spite of pretty hefty age gaps. I think the moms have an even better time together though. :) My darling friend Melissa plans and organizes the whole thing. She's fantastic. It was so great yesterday to hang out in the shade and gab, while the kids made a horrendous, wet mess and we just didn't care. To Melissa, Jamie, Kari, Brenda and Michelle...thanks for the great time! Till next week.

potter...

Conversation between Alex and his pals Jonathan and Matthew:

Oooo...Harry Potter 5!

This is like the least scariest one.

It should be PG not PG-13. It's so not scary.

But Harry Potter kisses.

Yeah...he kisses. Not many scary movies have kissing in them.

sunglasses...

You know what? It's not even about protecting their eyes for me. I am obsessive about always knowing where their sunglasses are, having them worn any time there is a single, solitary ray of sunshine. Look at her. This is why. It has been crazy sunny around here, after a really late start. LOTS of excuses to stare at them in their shades. Coo-coo, I know. :) And I think I'm REALLY coo-coo because I don't know how to spell coo-coo.

twitchington...

Oh man, I love them so much. This show makes me genuinely happy. I smile the whole time I watch. Especially while I watch these 2. Seriously breathtaking. Watch...you'll like it, I promise. :) Thanks for finding the pics Brit. Can't wait till Wednesday!

and another one gone...

Another tooth bit the dust yesterday. This one came out all on its' own. Well...after persistent wiggling. She's even cuter with both gone.

Connor and Porter have been friends with my girls since they were born. They arrived about a week and 1/2 after E & E. I'd love to see some weddings happen here...way down the road. They are darling boys. I love them. They are about as different as Emily and Elizabeth too. Darling.

Megan and I have been friends since we ran in to eachother at the hospital getting non-stress tests just before our twins came. We were huge, anxious, uncomfortable and meant to be friends for life. The Millers had us over for my birthday dinner last night. I LOVED hanging out with them. The kids played, we laughed and porked out. I treasure their family, but even more than that, my friendship with Megan. She "gets" me. I am happy when I'm near her.

CHEESE!

* As a side note...she has lost over 50 lbs in the last few months. I think she is beautiful, but she laughs at me when I tell her.

3 mi.

So, this is the way we start our day...although a bit too late this morning. Dang it is hot today! The kids and I have been going on a 3 mile walk/ride every morning this week. Actually, it started out with all of us walking (but Miss Molly) but by day 3, the kids were a little tired. Now, they ride and I push the stroller. It's definitely not a 3 mile run, or 30+ minutes on the eliptical machine, but it will do. We actually have a really good time together. The kids are happy, there's no contention, it's fun. On Monday...I told the kids I wanted them to remind me how happy I felt getting out and doing this together. I told them I wanted to do it everyday. I did mention though, that there would come a day when I really didn't want to, maybe I wouldn't feel good, maybe we would have too much going on...but Alex was sure that if he reminded me how happy it made me, he was SURE it would persuade me to go. Seriously...there may be a day when it just won't work out. But if we remind you, it will persuade you, right? Right. Are they as cute as I think they are in their gigantic helmets and shades? :)

jeremiah johnson...

Scout day camp. I think the pictures speak for themselves. Alex and his buddies had the time of their lives. Is he the cutest little scout you have ever seen (you can plead the 5th, Kristin :) )? I love scouts...I really do. I love that HE loves scouts. YAY!

the reeds...

This is my dear friend Carrie and a few of her kids. We were "by chance" roommates in 1992 and have been pals ever since. I can remember being so bummed that she met Dave (her husband) and he was occupying so much of her time. Actually, I love him, and loved him then, I was just jealous. We were pretty much inseparable. At one point Dave made a comment (HER Dave) that we'd probably marry eachother if he wasn't already engaged to her. I told MY Dave this the other night...he didn't laugh like he was supposed to. He thought I meant literally marry her. I think we just have a good relationship. We are comfortable together. We KNOW eachother. A few months ago, an old friend of mine...a very important friend...tragically passed away. I struggled for days about whether or not I belonged at the funeral. I agonized over it. I just couldn't do it alone. Carrie knew that. She called me and asked if I would like her to go with me. I fell apart. We went, it was better than I thought, and that is why I love her.

Anywho...my reason for this post is that they are moving to Mexico. In 3 weeks. For a year. Just because. We will now begin planning a trip to Mexico (and Bend too Brit!). I have to admit that I am actually a little jealous. I know they will have an amazing experience. It will tighten bonds in their cute little family. They will learn a new language, a new culture. We get to hang out one last time next week. I SO hope I don't cry.

Would you believe, that as long as we have known eachother (16 years!), I don't have a picture of us to post. I guess I could dig and find some old college photo...with the bangs, the tapered jeans, all that stuff...but I'll spare you. Let me challenge all within hearing distance. Take pictures of your friends. You and your friends together. I'll be sure to snap one next week. :)

a few from the reunion...

Oh my gosh...we had such a great time! An exhausting time but a great time. This family is so cool. I really love them all. I'll follow up with some details when I get a chance. Heading off to scout day-camp tomorrow. Wish me luck! I've missed you guys. :)

giveaway...

Check out the amazing virtual baby shower giveaway on Tangled and True. Click on the button to the right. It is awesome!

the schofields...

So we are off to the Schofield family reunion. Well, not really off since it is here in Provo, but whatever. Can you believe the size of this family? Patrick and Beverly had 13 kids. And guess what...they all love eachother. SO many grandkids. This picture was taken 4 years ago, so it is missing quite a few babies. It's also missing Dave's little brother Jim and his family, and Wendi and hers. It really is such a fun group. Lots of laughing...LOTS of food! I'll give you an update after our celebration!

THE chicken salad...

Let me just preface this by telling you it will knock your socks right off your feet! You have never tasted anything like it before...I can guarantee it! My sister-in-law Thelma found it somewhere...and for that I will be eternally grateful. Hope this helps with the morning sickness Erin! :) Sorry...no picture...lame-o.

Tropical Chicken Salad

Tropical salad dressing (recipe follows)
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken
¾ c coarsely chopped celery
¾ c seedless red or green grape halves
¾ c coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or toasted almonds
lettuce leaves
strawberries, kiwi fruit and toasted coconut flakes for garnish

Prepare salad dressing. Combine chicken, celery, grapes, and nuts in large bowl; stir in 1 c of dressing. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Mound salad in lettuce-lined plates. Garnish.

TROPICAL SALAD DRESSING:
½ c cream of coconut (NOT coconut milk)…find by the mixed drinks
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 garlic clove
Combine in food processor or blender. Slowly add 1 c vegetable oil, processing until smooth. Serve extra dressing with salad greens or fruit. DELICIOUS!!!

yipee...

OK...so my good friend Kristin just informed me you could change your image size on here. Yay! Not really sure why I never figured that out myself. They still may not be big enough for me, but this is definitely a start. Whew...I feel so much better. This is my handsome Dad.

finally...

It FINALLY happened...the first tooth came out. I think she may have been the only kid in her 1st grade class with all her baby teeth still intact at the end of the year. She was sad. This tooth has been loose for quite awhile. This morning it wiggled a little, and by early evening it was nearly falling out. She messed with it all day, coaxing it to loosen just a little bit more. She was over the moon. YAY Emily!

heaven.

If you read my profile...you will know how this is complete heaven to me. My dear, sweet friend Michelle brought these by last night. She must love me. Guess what we had for dessert last night and breakfast this morning? She trusts me so much that she even tried to give the whole slim-jim thing a shot a few months ago. She gagged. It must be an acquired taste. :) Thank you so much Michelle!

it's done...

OK...I did it...the link is on the right, or here. I'd love if you would go look and see what you think. Thanks!

help me out here...

OK...I am thinking lately that I need to get some of my photos out there. People often ask me if I have a portfolio they can look at (I get it...I would TOTALLY want to see some images before I hired a photographer). I have some, they just aren't accessible to people. I have books at my house, files on my computer, but I haven't crossed over to the internet. Quite frankly, I'm afraid. I don't want people looking at them and wondering why I am actually charging people. I don't want people who are better than me getting a laugh out of my stuff. There is ALWAYS somebody better out there. I don't want people to look at what I consider art, as off center, out of focus...(ie. the picture below). I guess what I need is a pep talk. I'm scared. Do I just post them on my blog here, create a separate blog that I link people to? Help. Talk me through this BIG change. Here are a few of my favorites from the past few weeks. Thanks for reading my entire rant. Love you.