april 19-22. 2013
kara got in on friday, and we went to a rockies game with her and some friends. it was a little chilly, but nevertheless, the girls got to practice spitting sunflower seed shells. it was awesome! we also went fishing on a beautiful day at the platte river, and i had fun walking around the lake and near the river with nadia taking lots of pictures. we enjoyed sunday dinner with kara and friends. it was a good visit.
april 11. 2013
some friends from our ward in georgia were passing through, and we were lucky enough to have them stop by at our home. we had great conversation over dinner, and it was wonderful to reconnect with old friends. alex really needed a friend boost too, and these girls are so smart, sweet, and spiritual. the younger of the two girls got her young woman’s medallion within months of becoming a young woman. they are very driven and intelligent, and alex needs to be around more of these spiritual and smart young women.
april 4-9th. 2013
my sister and i haven’t lived near each other since i left for college. we have been on the east coast for 12 years, until a year ago. we finally moved west to colorado, and three weeks later, my sister moves east to north carolina. what luck. someday, hopefully we’ll be by each other, and our kids will get to play with their cousins more.
we had a wonderful time during their visit…going on walks, visiting the zoo and getting fro-yo, fishing the lake, making good food, and getting a little time in to stamp some jewelry, it was lovely. valerie even did a treasure hunt for the kids to do-so awesome! my sister is amazing…a great friend, mother, and wife. john, her husband, is also a great man. he is a great match for her. and what spunky and fun little boys they have! thanks for coming, sista!
by the way, cam has proven to be quite fearless when it comes to fishing, gutting, and preparing the fish. quite the outdoorsman!
march. 2013
on a side note…another great reason for homeschooling, is that you can do museums at any time. we went with friends during spring break, and it was packed! we didn’t stay long because i don’t care for crowds, but did go see the new mammoth exhibit. the mammoth exhibit is absolutely phenomenal. we really enjoyed what we saw. and surprise, surprise, daddy showed up and spent the rest of the day with us. love that guy!
april. 2013
the best homemade caramel popcorn you’ve ever had, and then you take half of it, and put belgian dark chocolate on it. then mix it back in with the caramel, and you’ve got the best moose munch ever! expect a few pounds of weight gain, because you can’t walk away!
march-april. 2013
going gluten free and dairy free has never been easier. we have replaced our flour with delicious gluten free flour and other mixes to make whatever is needed. we make yummy cookies, waffles, cupcakes and other foods with our flour, and you can’t tell. the gluten free bread mix we make is absolutely mouth-watering. dairy also just makes my stomach mad, and after watching the documentary foodmatters and other food documentaries, i am ever more convinced of our family eating less dairy.
authentic foods-delicous flour and mixes
chebe bread-easy mixes and good
daiya cheese-pricey, but can last a meal or two if you use it for added flavor, and not as a thick layer of cheese. my kids love this cheese, as do i.-so yummy!
almond milk is our favorite-the girls love the chocolate almond milk, and i cook and bake with the regular-no sugar added. silk brand is non-gmo too!
brown rice noodles are our favorite! the lasagna noodles are delicious too. this was such an easy and healthy lasagna, throwing in a little zucchini to add a little more yummy!
april. 2013
our little madison has been through so much in her life. we are grateful to have her. we have been to children’s frequently over the past nine months, getting all sorts of things tested in her little body and mind, to see where she is at. we had her hormones tested, which was a six hour iv test, where they would inject hormones, and see how her body would respond. her body responded really well. so even though her bone growth is 3 years behind her age, her hormones are still doing what they need to do. she will grow for an additional three years after her peers, which is good news for her.
she will be going in for surgery in july, for a pharyngeal flap-to bridge the back of the throat, so when she speaks, her throat will close like it should, so she will be able to speak more clearly and project more loudly. i also feel, as she has also mentioned, that she will feel better about herself. i’m not looking forward to another surgery, but this will be the beginning of her new young woman life.
we go to speech therapy once a week, and after a session last week, we decided to go get a pedicure. it was awesome, i don’t know why i don’t do it more often. she wanted one also, and paid for it with her money. it was a fun day with her.
april. 2013
i have been extremely blessed having a husband that is fully supportive in all we do. homeschooling has been “our” decision, and he and i have never looked back. we absolutely love it, and all that it means and time it provides our children…
so the other day when he was working from home, he heard the girls doing their exercise cd, and he came up to join them. what an awesome dad! and, the girls and i had fun doing a taxonomy lesson, and learning about classification…what better way than sorting shoes into phylum.
homeschooling is so great-and when we go places, sometimes the girls get opportunities to do things they otherwise wouldn’t get to do. they got to go behind the counter and enter in colors to mix paint, and do the whole process. they loved it.
march. 2013
i had it with the same looking shelf and bookcase that we’ve had for years and years. i vintaged them up, and hope we like the look for awhile. also a mirror from pottery barn that was also mahogany wood-painted it. and then, we got the girls’ rooms painted before the two week mark also. we pushed through, and now can enjoy the house.
march 31. 2013
some friends gave us this idea, and it is now our new tradition. we do baskets and egg hunting on saturday, and then focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. we did a big easter egg hunt with families in our ward a couple weeks before Easter, and then had our Easter weekend with close friends. it was a lovely day, and we enjoyed relaxing on the Sabbath.
the greatest hard boiling egg tip-put eggs in muffin tin…cook at 350degrees for 20 minutes. easy, yummy!
