Cheese

Last night I made some Mac and Cheese using THIS RECIPE. 

It's a Pioneer Woman original :)

The dish was totally awesome and I had to eat it again for lunch today. 

You should make some and eat the leftovers for lunch the next day too!

(Happy Tuesday!)

Monday

1. On Sunday we went to church with my parents. They are moving and will no longer be in the ward that I grew up in and I wanted to visit with them one last time!

2. After church we had a last hurrah dinner at their house before they move and it is no longer their house.

3. Sunday evening we picked strawberries and tomatoes from our little garden.

4. Zackary ate the strawberries while I cooked the tomatoes with chicken sausage to serve over polenta with sauteed onions and corn. (Such a yummy dinner!)

5. I woke up this morning to the sound of Ty's alarm. I was so confused. Why was he getting up? Oh yes, vacation is over.....time to get up.

6. I have been running ever since that alarm went off and only 10 minute was spent on the treadmill! There is so much to do around here; unpacking, laundry, meals, bathrooms, etc....

7. Ty is working long days all week including Saturday so vacation really is over.

8. It's all good though. Tivo recorded a few episodes of The Pioneer Woman while we were away, so I plan on watching those when I have a minute. The kids are glad to be back to there own rooms and toys. We have chocolate. We will survive!

We're Back

Originally we were going to drive home from Utah in 2 parts and get home tomorrow, but we were just so over it. We decided to push through and drive all the way home today.

We stopped at In N Out in Vegas for dinner. It was the hottest any place has ever been ever......and if it wasn't it was still REALLY hot.

The kids busied themselves with stickers.

Zoey stuck stickers to herself and to the table :)

After dinner we drove through the Mojave. It was hot!

We drove through the high desert....so hot!

We finally came down into the valley and when we pulled off onto our exit I rolled down my window and it was......cool!

At home we put the kids into pajamas and in front of a movie while Ty and I unloaded the car. Then I checked the freezer for ice cream. Success!

So glad to be home.

This space....

I especially love the breakfast bar!

Happy Friday!

The Zoo

 Yesterday we drove to Salt Lake and we took the kids to the Hogle Zoo.

We love coming to the zoo when we are in Utah. It is small enough that you can see all of the animals before the kids get too cranky.

The last time we visited Zack was just 5 weeks old!

He really enjoyed seeing all of the animals.

 The elephants are a favorite of mine. Especially when there is a baby elephant :)

 The kids got to ride the carousel.

 Everyone picked out their very favorite animal to ride on.

 The monkeys were Zackary's favorite. Max and Mia were pretty impressed with the gorillas. They posed with this statue after we had visited them.

 Each of the kids had their own map. They had a great time trying to figure out where we were and where we were going.

Zoey fell asleep and she and I enjoyed some quiet time while everyone else watched the bird show.

After leaving the zoo I had wanted to enjoy a nice lunch somewhere in Salt Lake, but the kids were starving and not cooperating, so we went through a drive through and got them all corn dogs and root beer. They were thrilled.

Maybe when they are a little older they will be a little bit more gourmet!

We had a great time. The kids talked about the animals for the rest of the day.

The Grotto

 Ty's sister Natalie and her family joined us for a little hike up in Payson Canyon.

We hiked to the world's tiniest waterfall!

It was a perfect hike for the kids. They loved it!

 Max and Cai were getting close to the falls.

(Cai broke his arm yesterday and he still hiked and played. Such a trouper!)

 Mia and Kooper. The cutest little cousins.

 It was much cooler near the water. The day was really hot so we all enjoyed the break.

It was a beautiful retreat!

After our hike the men took the boys fishing and talked about guns. The girls came home and made some really good bread and talked about really great bras :)

Happy Pioneer Day!

The Utah Trip (so far!)

 We started our drive on Friday morning. Our first stop was Las Vegas.

We headed to the South Point hotel. Inside the South Point there is a Steak and Shake restaurant. We loved Steak and Shake when we lived in Tennessee.

I don't say this very often, but the burgers at Steak and Shake rival the burgers at In and Out!

Zackary was pretty excited about the whole thing.

All of the kids got these little paper cars to put together.

Anything car related thrills Zack to pieces.

 I wanted all of the little people to put on the little steak and shake hats, but only Zack would participate :(

 He was also the only child who wanted to eat :(

 In any case....Ty and I really enjoyed our lunch!

Soon we were back on the road.

We stopped in St. George to visit Ty's grandparents. Ty did a little roofing and we all got to enjoy some home made rolls. We stayed the night and on Saturday morning we got back on the road.

We stopped in Beaver to visit the Cache Valley cheese factory. It is our favorite little pit-stop! We sampled different kinds of cheeses. I liked the muenster, Max and Mia liked the smoked gouda, and Zack and Ty preferred the sharp cheddar.

After our cheese break we drove straight through to Payson. The kids were glad to be done with the drive. Ty ended up going to see the new Batman movie with his dad and some of his brothers so the kids and I stayed home with Ty's mom and I tried to get everyone to go to bed. This was harder than usual because it stays light out until almost 10:00 here! I was so tired. Everyone finally went to bed and we all woke up Sunday feeling better.

Jamison drove down from Provo to go to church with us. It happened to be Ty's cousin, Will's, mission farewell so we got to see all sorts of family!

After church I made some granola and the kids played on the swingset outside.

Monday was our Provo day. I wanted to go to BYU first. I'm starting my little cougars young :)

We went to the Bookstore so that we could buy shirts. Ty told me he was sure I could buy them online, but I told him it was more fun to buy them on campus at BYU. Sometimes I forget that he was never a cougar! Oh well...we love him anyway!

After leaving the Wilke we went to another part of Provo to do a little shopping. Every time we come to Provo things have changed. There are new things and better things! There was a new splash pad at the Riverwoods and we just happened to have all of the kids swimsuits in the back of the car so we were able to do a quick change and let everyone play. Sadly we did not hava any towels, but it was a hot day so we just had the kids stand in the sun for a few minutes to warm up.

I checked into William-Sonoma. I bought things :)

We took the kids to Blickenstaff's (a really awesome toy store!) Everyone played and picked out a few little things. Next we visited The Chocolate in Orem. We shared a slice of "the cherub" chocolate cake and an italian soda.

After cake we went to visit some old friends, one of Ty's mission companions and his wife. I love a quick catch up!

Next we went to lunch at Slab Pizza in Provo. It was amazing! I had the pulled pork pizza and Ty had the buffalo wing pizza. I shared mine with the kids. There was plenty!

We were having FHE with Ty's brother and sister in law so we drove back to Payson and I whipped up a batch of the Knock You Naked Brownies for our treat. The kids had a great evening playing with there cousins. Everyone was exhausted and went to bed without a fight!

Today is Tuesday and Pioneer Day! We are headed up the canyon for lunch and a hike.

Happy Pioneer Day!

(maybe I will take some pictures soon!)

More Oldies

 Ty bought this bike while we were living in our little rental house in Provo. He loved it. I loved it. We had so much fun on it.

We had to sell it before we headed out to anesthesia school.

It took me a while to figure out what I was doing in this picture. It was taken in the backyard of our Provo house. I was about 6 months pregnant with Max and I was showing off my pregnant belly. This is about how I look normally now.....Oh well.

A Little Blast From the Past

 My parents are moving and my mom is finding all sorts of long lost photos.

She brought these over today.

 Holy Cow!

Who let us get married?

We look about 12 years old:)

 This was a great day.

Call Me Maybe

We are leaving for Utah tomorrow morning!

It will be a week of....Utah!

Wish me luck and listen to this song.

( I really like it!)

Have a great week!

Packing

We leave on Friday for Utah!

Today I am packing for the kids.

 I used gallon sized ziplock bags and labeled each one with a name and a brief outfit description .

The boys are packed in the blue zipper tops and the girls are packed in the pink zipper tops. 

If we can survive the drive it will be a great trip!

Tuesday Things

 I really want to buy these happy little house shoes.

They are Roxy brand Hot Cocoa slippers and I love them :)

We made these Mexican Chocolate Cookies this morning.

We left out the spices that really made the cookies, "mexican", and had regular chocolate cookies instead. They turned out super awesome.

I slept in today.

It was super fun until everyone else woke up and ruined it.

The kids created a play-doh bakery.

They made pizza. Max made pizza without crust and Mia made pizza with crust, because her people like it that way :)

Zack made a cow.

Zoey is sad today and I can't figure out why. She is getting lots of extra cuddles and snuggles.

Max has decided he is going to learn to skateboard. He is doing pretty well so far!

Happy Tuesday!

Ice Cream

 We have been eating lots of ice cream! Zack likes vanilla, Max and Mia like cookies and cream, Ty and I prefer chocolate, and Zoey will take whatever she can get. ( even if it's just a cone! )

Broccoli Cheese

Tonight for dinner, I made the Pioneer Woman's Broccoli Cheese soup.

It was much cooler today than it has been, not really cool enough for soup, but I had some nice broccoli that needed to be used so I made some anyway.

This had to be one of our most popular dinners ever. The kids sat down and happily ate every bite. Ty's only request was that next time I add bacon :)

Find the recipe HERE.

Friday the 13th, Balloons, and randomness....

1. Lunch is my least favorite meal of the day. I really just want to eat some strawberries and move on with it. I love making dinner, but I lack creativity mid-day.

2. After informing Mia that her friend was coming over to play she ran to her room and began to clean and put toys away. She was scrambling to get things put in place and I asked if she was putting things away so that her friend wouldn't play with her toys. She said no, she just wanted her friend to come to a nice clean room. I'm so proud :)

3. We are having the grossest weather. Humidity is never fun.

4. I want today to be super entertaining for everyone without putting forth much effort.....

Balloons are super entertaining :)

5. Happy Friday!

Wednesday Things

1. It is HOT! Triple digit temps all week. 

2. We took the kids swimming today to cool off. Zackary is loving the water more and more each time.

3. Ty and I had a quick lunch date at Cafe Rio. I drowned myself in ice cold horchata. It was awesome.

4. I went through all of the kids clothes today and sorted everything into too small, save for a smaller person, give to D.I., and keep piles. I am trying to figure out what we will be needing to get for school next month. (I can't believe school starts next month. Summer sure is flying by!)

5. Strawberries and watermelon have become our summer staples. We stopped by our favorite fruit stand in Yucaipa to stock up.

6. Max has been watching Johnny Test non-stop. He loves the show and wants us to call him Johnny.

Have a great day!

So True

Sun Butter

 We were in Redlands yesterday and I stopped by Trader Joe's.

I picked up some of this sunflower seed butter and today I gave it a try and loved it!

I used some to make these Cookies:

Sun Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from against all grain.

 

on a sidenote:

Max has a friend with peanut allergies and I accidentally gave him a peanut butter cookie the last time he was here. I felt awful! Now I can make him some cookies that will not make him ill :)

Done and Done

Happy Tuesday!

Redlands

On the Fourth, my parents took Mia and Zack to a park in Redlands. It is the very same park that my parents took me and my brothers to when we were small. Mia and Zack got to play games and eat snow cones and were very spoiled!

We have loved living so close to my parents. We have enjoyed using the pool in their backyard and we have loved visiting them in my hometown. They have just recently sold their house and will be moving to a tiny house in a tiny mountain community. They will still be relatively nearby and I am excited for their new adventure. I am going to miss the pool and visiting Redlands so often, but I am looking forward to hiking near the new house and spending Christmas in the mountains.

Good luck Mom and Dad!

We love you!

Our Sunday

 We had a really nice Sunday afternoon.

Ty and his home teaching companion organized a dinner at our house for the families they visit each month.

I was busy getting the food ready while Max and Mia tried to add toy frogs to the menu.

(They were not successful!)

 Dinner was great.

The kids were well behaved and I think everyone had a good time.

This Little Miss was seriously worn out after all of the commotion and she fell asleep right away.

We are looking forward to another great week starting tomorrow. It looks like we will be headed to Target to replace Zackary's Lightning Mcqueen car. Some things are just that important!

Yes!

I am headed out to Hobby Lobby!

I haven't been since we lived in Tennessee. I am stocking up.

I am taking 3 kids with me.

Hopefully we survive and don't spend too much.

Happy Friday!

The Littles

The littles are having a wonderful summer!

 Zoey is 8 months old.

She has been rolling for a while now and has just started to crawl. She loves to be in her walker downstairs on the tile. She is my little athlete. She just loves to move.

 Zackary is the master of disaster. He can knock over a block tower and destroy a sand castle in no time :)

Zack still loves Lightning Mcqueen and all things "Cars".

 Max has spent this summer in the pool.

Swimming at my parent's house or at the Beaumont pool with his friend, Ian.

He also enjoys our weekly visit to the donut shop :)

Mia loves projects. She especially enjoys painting and writing. She is very social and loves people. She is super friendly and can't wait for kindergarten.

I love these little people!

So glad they are mine :)

Brownie Batter Fro Yo

I mentioned earlier that I had bought some greek yogurt in the hopes that I would like eating it and become super healthy.

I just couldn't do it. It was too gross.

So I made this instead....

Brownie Batter Frozen Yogurt! (from chocolate covered katie)

It was delicious and totally worth eating. I don't know that I can eat it for breakfast though!

Find the recipe HERE.

This and That

1. We made our flag pizza last night for dinner and shared a brief lesson about Independence Day with the kids.

2. Today Max was running around with a sparkler he had made out of pipe cleaners and yelling, "The power of the fourth of July!" Whatever that means :)

3. My mom took Max and Mia to see an early morning showing of "Brave". While they were gone Zac and Zoey took a nap at the same time. I watched an episode of Pioneer Woman and ate chocolate. It was the greatest nap ever!

4. Ty is working a LONG shift today and will not be back until late tonight, BUT he will be off all day tomorrow and I am very much looking forward to it!

5. I bought some greek yogurt, because I want to like it. I feel like I should eat it. I have heard all sorts of good things about it, but it kind of makes me want to gag.

6. Zoey is sick with a cold. She has been very sad and I thought she might have an ear infection so I took her in to be checked. All is well so I am hoping in a few days my happy girl will be back!

7. While we were vacationing in Monterey we visited a children's museum. They had a craft area that was full of all sorts of things the kids could get creative with; strips of cloth, buttons, stickers, paper, cardboard, pipe cleaners, etc.
Today I set up a little craft station with that one in mind. I had just cleaned out the fridge and pantry and we had strawberry baskets, boxes, popsicle sticks, and the usual crayons....The kids loved it. A great use of what usually ends up in the trash!

Happy Tuesday!

This week's Lineup

This week we will be getting ready for the Fourth of July holiday. Holidays make kids activities super fun and a bit easier to plan :)

Here is the plan:

Monday:

 popsicle stick flags

(found HERE)

 patriotic pizza

(found HERE)

Tuesday:

 star sugar cookies

(found HERE)

 pipe cleaner sparklers

(found HERE)

Wednesday

Happy 4th of July!

(we will be partying, swimming, and BBQ'ing!)

Thursday

Picnic time

packing our own picnic lunches and using these DIY picnic supplies!

(found HERE)

Friday

breakfast skewers using mini eggo waffles, strawberries, and whipped cream!

(found HERE)

 name art

(found HERE)

using Homeade Finger Paints

(found HERE)

Have a great week!